= Amphiphile
{wiki}
= Amphiphilic
{synonym}
= Amphipathic
{synonym}
An <amphiphile> is a <molecule> containing distinct <hydrophilic> and <hydrophobic> regions. <Amphiphilic> and <amphipathic> describe this combination. Membrane-forming <phospholipids> are examples; their two regions give different parts of one <molecule> different affinities for <water>. The word describes a structure, not a guarantee of a particular aggregate shape. See https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/A00303[IUPAC Gold Book: amphiphilic].
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