Question

QUESTION 13 The properties of phospholipids that affect how tightly they pack together are the A number of hydrocarbon chains, the length of these chains, and the number of double bonds in these chains. B. None of these answers are correct C. number of hydrocarbon chains and the number of double bonds in these chains. D. charge of the hydrophilic head, the length of the hydrocarbon chains, and the number of double bonds in these chains E length of the hydrocarbon chains and the number of double bonds in these chains. OF charge of the hydrophilic head and the length of the hydrocarbon chains

Answer 1

Ans: Membrane fluidity refers to the viscosity of the lipid bilayer of a cell membrane or a synthetic lipid membrane. Lipid packing can influence the fluidity of the membrane.

Factors that affects membrane Fluidity hence the packaging of phospholipids are:

1: The length of the fatty acid tail
The length of the fatty acid tail impacts the fluidity of the membrane. This is because the intermolecular interactions between the phospholipid tails add rigidity to the membrane. As a result, the longer the phospholipid tails, the more interactions between the tails are possible and the less fluid the membrane will be.

2: The degree of saturation of fatty acids tails
Phospholipid tails can be saturated or unsaturated. The terms saturated and unsaturated refer to whether or not double bonds are present between the carbons in the fatty acid tails. Saturated tails have no double bonds and as a result have straight, unkinked tails. Unsaturated tails have double bonds and, as a result, have crooked, kinked tails.

So from all the literature we can conclude that the length of hydrocarbon chains and the number of double bonds in these chains affect how tightly phospholipids pack together.

Hence option E is correct.