asked 130k views
16 votes
Why do phospholipids form a bilayer in water?

2 Answers

14 votes

Answer:

When phospholipids are mixed with water, they spontaneously rearrange themselves to form the lowest free-energy configuration. This means that the hydrophobic regions find ways to remove themselves from water, while the hydrophilic regions interact with water. The resulting structure is called a lipid bilayer

Step-by-step explanation:

answered
User Pdel
by
8.1k points
9 votes

Answer:

When phospholipids are mixed with water, they spontaneously rearrange themselves to form the lowest free-energy configuration. This means that the hydrophobic regions find ways to remove themselves from water, while the hydrophilic regions interact with water. The resulting structure is called a lipid bilayer.

answered
User Ppearcy
by
7.4k points
Welcome to Qamnty — a place to ask, share, and grow together. Join our community and get real answers from real people.