The lipid tails of a phospholipid molecule are hydrophobic, as they consist of nonpolar fatty acid chains that repel water.
This is called the hydrophobic 'side' of the phospholipid molecule
Small molecule-protein interactions are often dominated by hydrophobic interactions because small molecules tend to have nonpolar hydrophobic regions that can interact favorably with hydrophobic amino acid side chains in the protein's binding site. This can lead to stable binding and strong affinity between the small molecule and the protein. Additionally, hydrophobic interactions can play a crucial role in determining the specificity and selectivity of the binding between small molecules and proteins.
Nonpolar molecules are typically hydrophobic, meaning they do not mix well with water. This is because water is a polar molecule and tends to interact more strongly with other polar molecules. Hydrophobic molecules generally prefer to interact with each other instead of with water.
DNA is considered to be a hydrophilic molecule because of its structure and composition. The phosphate backbone of DNA contains polar covalent bonds that interact favorably with water molecules, making it water-soluble and capable of forming hydrogen bonds with water.
This is called the hydrophobic 'side' of the phospholipid molecule
Hydrophobic describes molecules that are repelled by water. You can determine if a molecule is hydrophobic by looking at its structure - if it contains mostly nonpolar covalent bonds or hydrophobic functional groups (e.g. alkyl groups), it is likely to be hydrophobic. Additionally, hydrophobic molecules tend to aggregate together in water due to the hydrophobic effect.
The lipid tails of a phospholipid molecule are hydrophobic, as they consist of nonpolar fatty acid chains that repel water.
Head and hydrophobic tail
Head and hydrophobic tail
Head and hydrophobic tail
This is called the hydrophobic 'side' of the phospholipid molecule
This is called the hydrophobic 'side' of the phospholipid molecule
This is called the hydrophobic 'side' of the phospholipid molecule
This is called the hydrophobic 'side' of the phospholipid molecule
The fatty acid tails of the phospholipid molecule would reject the polar molecule glucose, as the tails are nonpolar and hydrophobic in nature. Glucose is hydrophilic and would not be compatible with the hydrophobic environment created by the fatty acid tails.
The hydrophobic portion of a synthetic detergent molecule typically consists of a long hydrocarbon chain, such as alkyl or aryl groups. This hydrophobic tail is responsible for interacting with oily or greasy particles to remove them from surfaces.