Knowee
Questions
Features
Study Tools

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.

Question

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.

🧐 Not the exact question you are looking for?Go ask a question

Solution

Phospholipids are amphipathic, which means they contain components that can be in contact with water and components that prefer to be in contact with lipids. This characteristic is crucial for the formation of cellular membranes. The part of the phospholipid that is attracted to water is the phosphate group (hydrophilic), and the part that is repelled by water is the fatty acid tail (hydrophobic). This allows phospholipids to form a bilayer in water, with the hydrophilic heads facing the water and the hydrophobic tails facing each other, away from the water. This structure forms the basis of all cell membranes.

This problem has been solved

Similar Questions

The fatty acid portion of a phospholipid is insoluble in water and is therefore described as .

Phospholipids commonly contain all of the following structural features EXCEPT:A.a phosphate.B.a phenol.C.a glycerol backbone.D.fatty acid chains.

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.

The phosphate group in a phospholipid molecule is hydrophilic.TrueFalse

Phospholipids that form cell membranes, steroids that act as hormones, waxes that prevent water loss or water saturation, and triglycerides (fats) that act as energy reserves are all types of organic molecules called .

1/3

Upgrade your grade with Knowee

Get personalized homework help. Review tough concepts in more detail, or go deeper into your topic by exploring other relevant questions.