Which statements describe the characteristics of phospholipids?Question 13Answera.Part of the molecule is hydrophobic.b.They are the primary components of cell membranes.c.They form a bilayer when placed in water.d.The tails of the molecule are hydrophilic.e.The tails congregate in the middle.
Question
Which statements describe the characteristics of phospholipids?Question 13Answera.Part of the molecule is hydrophobic.b.They are the primary components of cell membranes.c.They form a bilayer when placed in water.d.The tails of the molecule are hydrophilic.e.The tails congregate in the middle.
Solution 1
The statements that describe the characteristics of phospholipids are:
a. Part of the molecule is hydrophobic. This is true. The tails of a phospholipid are made of fatty acid chains, which are hydrophobic or 'water-fearing'.
b. They are the primary components of cell membranes. This is also true. Phospholipids form the basic structure of a cell membrane, known as the phospholipid bilayer.
c. They form a bilayer when placed in water. This is true. The hydrophilic heads of phospholipids are attracted to water, while the hydrophobic tails are repelled by it. This causes them to arrange themselves in a bilayer, with the heads facing out towards the water and the tails hidden in the middle.
d. The tails of the molecule are hydrophilic. This is false. The tails of a phospholipid are hydrophobic, not hydrophilic.
e. The tails congregate in the middle. This is true. In a phospholipid bilayer, the hydrophobic tails are located in the middle, away from the water.
Solution 2
The statements that describe the characteristics of phospholipids are:
a. Part of the molecule is hydrophobic. This is true. The tails of a phospholipid are made of fatty acid chains, which are hydrophobic or 'water-fearing'.
b. They are the primary components of cell membranes. This is also true. Phospholipids form the basic structure of all cell membranes, creating a barrier between the inside and outside of a cell.
c. They form a bilayer when placed in water. This is true as well. When phospholipids are in an aqueous environment, they spontaneously arrange themselves into a bilayer. The hydrophilic 'heads' face the water while the hydrophobic 'tails' are shielded from the water.
d. The tails of the molecule are hydrophilic. This is false. The tails of a phospholipid are hydrophobic, not hydrophilic.
e. The tails congregate in the middle. This is true. In a phospholipid bilayer, the hydrophobic tails face inward, away from the water, and congregate in the middle of the bilayer.
Similar Questions
4. Which statement about membrane phospholipids is not true?a. They associate to form bilayers.b. They have hydrophobic “tails.”c. They have hydrophilic “heads.”d. They give the membrane fluidity.e. They flip-flop readily from one side of the membrane to the other
Which of the following is false about the phospholipids in the cell membrane?Phospholipids of the bilayer have one fatty acid and a phosphate group.Phospholipids of the bilayer have two fatty acids and a phosphate group.Phospholipids of the bilayer always have hydrophilic phosphate heads.Phospholipids of the bilayer always have a hydrophobic tail.
Phospholipids are amphipathic, which means they contain components that:can only be in contact with other lipids and not waterAllow a cell to be recognisedcan only be in contact with water and not lipidscan be in contact with water and components that prefer to be in contact with lipids.
What are the main components of a phospholipid?Group of answer choicesfatty acids and glycerolglycerol and phosphatefatty acids and phosphatefatty acids, glycerol, and phosphate
Phospholipids commonly contain all of the following structural features EXCEPT:A.a phosphate.B.a phenol.C.a glycerol backbone.D.fatty acid chains.
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