Phospholipids

• what makes a phospholipid a special type of lipid?

  each molecule has the unusual property of having one end thats soluble in water and one thats not
• which side of the phospholipid is hydrophilic and why?

  the phosphate head; it has a lot of oxygen atoms and so interacts with water
• which side of the phospholipid is hydrophobic and why?

  the fatty acid tails; they don‘t have any oxygen atoms and so don‘t interact with water
• what side of the phospholipid is polar?

  the phosphate head (hydrophilic)
• what side of the phospholipid is non-polar?

  the fatty acid tails (hydrophobic)
• what does hydrophilic mean?

  polar; a molecule or ion that can interact with water molecules because of its charge
• what does hydrophobic mean?

  non-polar; a molecule that can’t interact with water molecules because it has no charge