CELL STRUCTURES AND FUNCTION
CELL STRUCTURE
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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Phosphate heads are polar, the tails are not polar
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Both the phosphate heads and the lipid tails are polar
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the phosphate heads are not polar, but the lipid tails are polar
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There is no polarity in the phospholipid bilayer
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Detailed explanation-1: -This makes phospholipid molecules have a hairpin shape. The head of the hairpin is very polar and therefore likes to associate with water (it is hydrophilic), while the two fatty acid chains (the “tails") are very non-polar and tend to avoid water (hydrophobic) and associate with other hydrocarbon chains.
Detailed explanation-2: -The main component of the cell membrane is a phospholipid bi-layer or sandwich. The heads (the phospho part) are polar while the tails (the lipid part) are non-polar.
Detailed explanation-3: -Phospholipids consist of a glycerol molecule, two fatty acids, and a phosphate group that is modified by an alcohol. The phosphate group is the negatively-charged polar head, which is hydrophilic. The fatty acid chains are the uncharged, nonpolar tails, which are hydrophobic.