LIFE SCIENCE

OBJECTIVE LIFE SCIENCE

BIOCHEMISTRY

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Phospholipid tails face ____, while the heads face ____
A
the water, the center
B
left, right
C
the center, the water
D
up, down
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Being cylindrical, phospholipid molecules spontaneously form bilayers in aqueous environments. In this energetically most-favorable arrangement, the hydrophilic heads face the water at each surface of the bilayer, and the hydrophobic tails are shielded from the water in the interior.

Detailed explanation-2: -Each phospholipid is amphipathic, with two hydrophobic tails and a hydrophilic head. The hydrophobic tails face inward towards one another, and the hydrophilic heads face outwards.

Detailed explanation-3: -Phospholipids and Biological Membranes The fatty acid tails of phospholipids face inside, away from water, whereas the phosphate heads face the outward aqueous side.

Detailed explanation-4: -The head “loves” water (hydrophilic) and the tails “hate” water (hydrophobic). The water-hating tails are on the interior of the membrane, whereas the water-loving heads point outwards, toward either the cytoplasm or the fluid that surrounds the cell.

Detailed explanation-5: -The heads (the phospho part) are polar while the tails (the lipid part) are non-polar. The heads, which form the outer and inner linings, are “hydrophilic” (water loving) while the tails that face the interior of the cell membrane are “hydrophobic” (water fearing).

There is 1 question to complete.