Answer:
- Amphipathic (amphiphilic) lipids are the structural basis of biological bilayer membranes.
- The tendency of water to minimize its contact with nonpolar substances is called the hydrophobic effect.
- Hydrophobic molecules do not readily dissolve in water in part because water molecules involved in hydration cannot participate in normal hydrogen bonding with one another.
Explanation:
The cellular membranes consist of amphipathic lipids arranged in a bilayer, which maximizes both hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions. The hydrophobic effect can be defined as the propensity of non-polar substances to aggregate themselves and thus exclude water molecules in a solution. Thus, water molecules around non-polar residues form an arrangement that reduces the entropy. Non-polar molecules are repelled and do not dissolve in water, thereby maximizing hydrogen bonding between water molecules and minimizing the contact area between water and nonpolar molecules.
