9.the bilayer that makes up the cell membrane contains lipids composed of two regions that align in such a way as to keep the opposing regions separated. What are the intermolecular forces that are present in the outer portions of the membrane lipids? What intermolecular forces are utilized by the interior portions of the membrane lipids?
9.the bilayer that makes up the cell membrane contains lipids composed of two regions that align in such a way as to keep the opposing regions separated. What are the intermolecular forces that are present in the outer portions of the membrane lipids? What intermolecular forces are utilized by the interior portions of the membrane lipids?
answers:
In a biological membrane structure, lipid molecules are arranged in a spherical bilayer: hydrophobic tails point inward and bind together by London dispersion forces, while the hydrophilic head groups form the inner and outer surfaces in contact with water.
Phospholipid bilayer
Once the bilayer forms, further stabilization comes from other weak forces. Van der Waals forces can result from the packing of fatty acid tails inside the bilayer. Hydrogen bonding and electrostatic attractions (ionic bonds) occur between the hydrophilic groups of phospholipids and the aqueous solution. We say that hydrophobic forces cause the bilayer to form, and the other weak forces stabilize the bilayer. This example of one weak force initiating a structural rearrangement that is then stabilized by other weak forces is repeated many times in biology. |
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