Table of contents

1. A Review of General Chemistry5h 5m
2. Molecular Representations1h 14m
3. Acids and Bases2h 46m
4. Alkanes and Cycloalkanes4h 17m
5. Chirality3h 39m
6. Thermodynamics and Kinetics1h 22m
7. Substitution Reactions1h 48m
8. Elimination Reactions2h 30m
9. Alkenes and Alkynes2h 9m
10. Addition Reactions3h 19m
11. Radical Reactions1h 58m
12. Alcohols, Ethers, Epoxides and Thiols2h 42m
13. Alcohols and Carbonyl Compounds2h 17m
14. Synthetic Techniques1h 26m
15. Analytical Techniques:IR, NMR, Mass Spect7h 3m
16. Conjugated Systems6h 13m
17. Ultraviolet Spectroscopy51m
18. Aromaticity2h 34m
19. Reactions of Aromatics: EAS and Beyond5h 1m
20. Phenols55m
21. Aldehydes and Ketones: Nucleophilic Addition4h 56m
22. Carboxylic Acid Derivatives: NAS2h 51m
23. The Chemistry of Thioesters, Phophate Ester and Phosphate Anhydrides1h 10m
24. Enolate Chemistry: Reactions at the Alpha-Carbon1h 53m
25. Condensation Chemistry2h 9m
26. Amines1h 43m
27. Heterocycles2h 0m
28. Carbohydrates5h 53m
29. Amino Acids4h 20m
30. Peptides and Proteins2h 42m
31. Catalysis in Organic Reactions1h 30m
32. Lipids 2h 50m
33. The Organic Chemistry of Metabolic Pathways2h 52m
34. Nucleic Acids1h 32m
35. Transition Metals6h 14m
36. Synthetic Polymers1h 49m

32. Lipids

Intro to Lipids

Organic Chemistry

32. Lipids

Intro to Lipids

Previous problemNext problem

Struggling with Organic Chemistry?

Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first video

Multiple Choice

Why do phospholipids spontaneously form bilayers when mixed with water?

Because they are completely hydrophobic and repel water.

Because they are completely hydrophilic and dissolve in water.

Because their hydrophobic tails repel water and their hydrophilic heads attract water.

Because their hydrophilic tails repel water and their hydrophobic heads attract water.

Previous problemNext problem

Verified step by step guidance

Phospholipids are amphipathic molecules, meaning they have both hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repelling) parts.

The structure of a phospholipid includes a hydrophilic 'head' that is attracted to water and hydrophobic 'tails' that repel water.

When phospholipids are mixed with water, the hydrophilic heads interact with the aqueous environment, while the hydrophobic tails avoid water.

To minimize the energy of the system, phospholipids arrange themselves into a bilayer, with the hydrophobic tails facing inward, shielded from water, and the hydrophilic heads facing outward, interacting with the water.

This spontaneous formation of a bilayer is driven by the need to reduce the unfavorable interactions between the hydrophobic tails and water, while maximizing the favorable interactions of the hydrophilic heads with water.