The head of a phospholipid can be described as
2 answers:
Answer:
The phospholipid head is the hydrophilic (water-loving) part of a phospholipid, it is usually made of a phosphate group (negatively charged) and a glycerol molecule.
Explanation:
A phospholipid in its basic form is an amphipathic molecule (has both hydrophobic and hydrophilic components). It contains a phosphate group on one end, called the “head”, and two chains of fatty acids known as the “tails”, those molecules are sometimes attached together by a glycerol molecule that also forms part of the head (phosphoglycerides).
The phosphate group is negatively charged that attracts the polar molecules of their environment (i.e. water or polar amino acids). In contrast, the lipid tails, are hydrophobic or non-polar, which means that repels and are repelled by polar molecules, such as, water.
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Karp, G. (2007). Cell and Molecular Biology. John Wiley & Sons Incorporated.
Boundless Chemistry. https://www.boundless.com/chemistry/textbooks/boundless-chemistry-textbook/. License: CC BY-SA: Attribution-ShareAlike
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