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Biology-Related Homework Help Anatomy and Physiology Topic started by: colleen on Oct 15, 2013



Title: Give three examples of structures whose formation involves molecular interaction
Post by: colleen on Oct 15, 2013
Give three examples of structures whose formation involves molecular interactions that either increase or decrease contact with water molecules, explaining how they are similar and how they differ from each other. (Hint: They all involve molecules that have both polar and nonpolar portions.)


Title: Re: Give three examples of structures whose formation involves molecular interaction
Post by: padre on Oct 16, 2013
Phospholipids have a polar portion that is attracted to water and a nonpolar portion that repels water. The molecules orient in water such that water is excluded from contacting the nonpolar portions. This is seen in: the bilayer arrangement of phospholipids in cell membranes, in which hydrophobic tails are in the middle of the layer; micelles, in which a single layer of phospholipids forms a sphere with the hydrophobic tails in the middle; and liposomes, which are hollow spheres made from phospholipid bilayers that can be filled with water-soluble molecules.