Question

Phospholipids assemble spontaneously into bilayers driven by the attraction of their “tail” portions to each other and of their “head” portions to each other. The “head” portions are:

Selected Answer:

C. hydrophobic.

Answers:

A. composed of carbon-hydrogen chains.

B. nonpolar.

C. hydrophobic.

D. hydrophilic.

E. directed away from intra- and extracellular fluid.

Answer 1

ANSWERS

D. Hydrophilic.

E. Directed away from intra- and extracellular fluids.

EXPLANATION

Phospholipids can form lipid bilayers due to its amphiphilic characteristics. It has 2 portions, hydrophilic head that consisting of a phosphate group and hydrophobic tail consisting 2 fatty acids made up of hydrocarbons. These components makes the phospholipid to orient themselves. The head of phospholipid is negatively charged. And therefore they can attract the water molecules of both intracellular and extracellular environment. That is, they attracts and directs the intracellular and extracellular fluids. The hydrophobic end is nonpolar and uncharged but the hydrophobic part is charged.