amphiphilic entity
Sign in to saveAlso known as amphipath, amphiphile, amphiphilic entities, amphiphilic compound, amphiphilic compounds
thumb|Phospholipids, such as this [[glycerophospholipid, have amphipathic character.|251x251px]] thumb|250px|right|Cross-section view of the structures that can be formed by phospholipids|biological amphiphiles in aqueous solutions. Unlike this illustration, micelles are usually formed by non-biological, single-chain, amphiphiles, soaps or detergents, since it is difficult to fit two chains into this shape
~6 min read
Encyclopedic overview
6 sectionsContents
- Structure
- Biological role
- Examples
- See also
- References
- External links
thumb|Phospholipids, such as this [[glycerophospholipid, have amphipathic character.|251x251px]] thumb|250px|right|Cross-section view of the structures that can be formed by phospholipids|biological amphiphiles in aqueous solutions. Unlike this illustration, micelles are usually formed by non-biological, single-chain, amphiphiles, soaps or detergents, since it is difficult to fit two chains into this shape
In chemistry, an amphiphile (), or amphipath, is a dipolar chemical compound possessing both hydrophilic (water-loving, polar) and lipophilic (fat-loving, nonpolar) properties. Such a compound is called amphiphilic or amphipathic. Amphiphilic compounds include surfactants and detergents. The phospholipid amphiphiles are the major structural component of cell membranes.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “amphiphilic entity” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.