Table of Contents
What does hydrophobic mean in biology?
water-fearing
The word hydrophobic literally means “water-fearing”, and it describes the segregation of water and nonpolar substances, which maximizes hydrogen bonding between molecules of water and minimizes the area of contact between water and nonpolar molecules.
What is a hydrophobic example?
Examples of hydrophobic molecules include the alkanes, oils, fats, and greasy substances in general. Hydrophobic materials are used for oil removal from water, the management of oil spills, and chemical separation processes to remove non-polar substances from polar compounds.
What do you mean by hydrophobic and hydrophilic?
Nonpolar molecules that repel the water molecules are said to be hydrophobic; molecules forming ionic or a hydrogen bond with the water molecule are said to be hydrophilic. This property of water was important for the evolution of life.
What do you call something that repels water?
Materials with a special affinity for water — those it spreads across, maximizing contact — are known as hydrophilic. Those that naturally repel water, causing droplets to form, are known as hydrophobic.
Are humans hydrophobic?
Human skin, like polyethylene film, is generally hydrophobic.
Does hydrophilic mean polar?
Hydrophilic molecules or Hydrophilic moieties are basically polar compounds that have ionic groups. The polar nature of these hydrophilic molecules enables them to readily absorb water or polar solvent and eventually getting dissolved in polar solvents like water.
What is another word for hydrophobic?
In this page you can discover 15 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for hydrophobic, like: chromophore, aquaphobic, hydrophilic, , side-chain, hydrogen-bonding, dimer, in solution, nonpolar, ligand and zwitterionic.
What are the characteristics of hydrophobic?
Hydrophobic Definition. A hydrophobic substance exhibits hydrophobicity and may be termed a hydrophobe. Hydrophobic molecules tend to be nonpolar molecules that group together to form micelles rather than be exposed to water. Hydrophobic molecules typically dissolve in nonpolar solvents (e.g., organic solvents).
What is the definition of hydrophilic and hydrophobic?
• Hydrophilic means water loving and hydrophobic means fear of water. • Therefore, hydrophilic substances interact with and dissolve in water, whereas hydrophobic substances do not show such behavior. • Hydrophilic substances are polar, and hydrophobic substances are non-polar.
Why are fats hydrophobic?
Fats are hydrophobic, which means they appear to avoid water and instead form large globules when mixed with a water-based liquid. However, this happens not because the fat molecules actively avoid water, but because the water molecules prefer to bond with each other rather than with the fats.
Synonyms for (adjective) hydrophobic. Synonyms: hydrophobic, aquaphobic. Definition: abnormally afraid of water. Similar words: afraid. Definition: filled with fear or apprehension. Usage: afraid even to turn his head; suddenly looked afraid; afraid for his life; afraid of snakes; afraid to ask questions.