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Actually, although the tails are referred to as hydrophobic, the heads are actually hydrophilic. This terminology most ofter refers to the cell membrane due to the fact that it is made up of something called a phosopholipid bilayer. This layer is made of two rows of lipids, a type of fat molecule that has a pydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail.
Once you understand that, you can understand what the heads and tails do. Since -phobic means fear and -philic means love hydrophobic and hydrophilic mean water fearing and water loving respectively. When these particles form the bilayer, they automatically position themselves with the water loving heads on the outside edges of the membrane and the water fearing ends on the interior of the membrane.
It looks somewhat like this:
Water Outside of Membrane
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
~Water Inside of Membrane
As this shows (although very crudely) the lipids form the membrane "wall" by having the tail (1) on the inside and the heads (o) on the outside.
( Sorry part of it cuts off. Imagine the heads continuing on with the rest of the membrane.)
This is a very basic explanation. You can find more by searching Phosphlipid Bilayer online.
What else can I help you with?
Why phospholipids form a thin layer on the surface of an aqueous solution?
Phospholipids form a thin layer on the surface of an aqueous solution due to their amphipathic nature. The hydrophobic tails of the phospholipids are repelled by water and thus orient themselves towards each other, while the hydrophilic heads are attracted to the water molecules, resulting in the formation of a stable lipid bilayer at the surface. This arrangement minimizes the exposure of the hydrophobic tails to water, creating a barrier that separates the aqueous environment from the hydrophobic core of the phospholipids.
Why do squirrels put their tails over their heads when its raining?
to block water from going to body
A farmer saw 4 heads 10 legs and 3 tails What animals did he see?
The farmer saw two cows and two chickens. Each cow has one head, four legs, and one tail, and each chicken has one head, two legs, and one tail.
Can chickens eat prawn heads?
Yes. An excellent source of protein and calcium. A wonderful treat for the birds. Crustaceans of any kind are valuable for the calcium content. Prawn and shrimp are the ultimate in recyclable food. Cleaned to supply a recipe, the shells and heads can then be boiled and a fish stock made, then the cooled shells,heads and tails can be fed to the hens who will leave no trace of scrap.
Do all raccoons have striped tails?
There is always the possibility of genetic mutations in the animal kingdom, which would make it possible that there have been raccoons without stripes on their tails. However, all raccoons should have striped tails.
Are the lipids associated with the biological membrane hydrophobic or hydrophilic?
Hydrophyllic heads and hydrophobic tails.
What part of a lipid is hydrophobic?
The tails of lipids are hydrophobic and the heads are hydrophilic hope this helped=) The tails of lipids are hydrophobic and the heads are hydrophilic hope this helped=)
Why are the outside heads of phospholipids located on the outside of the cell membrane?
Tails are Hydrophobic
Do phospholipids of the plasma membrane have hydrophobic heads and tails?
Hydrophobic means water fearing tails and hydrophilic means water loving heads First of all, these terms are involved when you are looking at the cell membrane. The structure of the cell membrane is called a phospholipid bilayer. Which means that the cell membrane is actually made to two layers and not one. If you take a look at the image, you will see that the little white sphere shaped objects are the hydrophilic heads, and the two little string-like objects attached to the hydophilic heads are the hydrophobic tails. All of the other stuff in the image is all of the extracellular proteins and such. But yes, as the previous answerer said. The hydrophilic heads are on the outer part of the bilayer because they are "water loving". Whereas the hydrophobic tails are on the inner part of the bilayer for two reasons. First, they are hydrophobic or "water fearing" so they will repel water. An example of hydrophobic is oil in water. The oil will form blob-like shapes in the water. Second, the hydrophobic tails also have a somewhat attraction to each other.
Why is the phosphate the polar part of the phosphilipid?
The phospholipid heads are hydrophillic and prefer the water while the tails are hydrophobic and are shielded from the water.
The phospholipid molecules of most membranes have?
a hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tails. This structure allows the phospholipids to form a bilayer in water, with the hydrophobic tails facing inward and the hydrophilic heads facing outward, providing a barrier that controls the movement of molecules in and out of the cell.
Do lipids have carbohydrate?
Yes they do, yet only in their Acid (HOOC-) Heads, not in their Hydrophobic (-CH2-CH2-CH2-) Tails.
What has a hydrophilic head which are stable in water and hydrophobic tails that keep water away?
Phospholipids have a hydrophilic head that is stable in water and hydrophobic tails that repel water. These molecules are key components of cell membranes, forming a bilayer structure with the hydrophobic tails facing inward and the hydrophilic heads facing outward towards the watery environment.
What are phospholipids that tend to form tiny droplets with hydrophobic tails buried inside called?
Phospholipids that form tiny droplets with hydrophobic tails buried inside are called micelles. These structures are created in aqueous environments where the hydrophobic tails cluster together to minimize contact with water, while the hydrophilic heads face outward. Micelles are important for solubilizing and transporting hydrophobic molecules in biological systems.
Why are phospholipids arranged as they are in a bi-layer?
Membranes self assemble as a result of the hydrophobic effect. This is the tendency of nonpolar substances to aggregate in aqueous solution and exclude water molecules. This can be shown by the hydrophobic tails coming together, and the hydrophilic heads facing the outside and inside of the cell.
How many outcomes are there when tossing a coin three times?
1heads heads heads 2heads heads tails 3heads tails heads 4heads tails tails 5tails tails tails 6tails tails heads 7tails heads tails 8tails heads heads
Why is a phospholipid both hydrophilic and hydrophobic?
They have both hydrophilic and hydrophobic heads. In a lipid bilayer, the hydrophilic head of the phospholipid faces the outside of the membrane while the hydrophobic head faces the the hydrophobic head of another phospholipid.
