Which component of a phospholipid is found in the interior?
Phospholipids and Biological Membranes
The cell membrane consists of two adjacent layers of phospholipids, which form a bilayer. The fatty acid tails of phospholipids face inside, away from water, whereas the phosphate heads face the outward aqueous side.
The inside of the lipid bilayer is non-polar, while the heads are polar molecules and create hydrogen bonds with other polar molecules. This also means that polar molecules like water and ions cannot as easily cross through the nonpolar tail region of the lipid bilayer.
The lipid bilayer is arranged in two layers of phospholipids with the hydrophilic heads forming the outer edges and the tails forming the interior. In this arrangement, the bilayer has a hydrophobic core that prevents the passage of polar molecules while allowing the relatively free diffusion of non-polar molecules.
A phospholipid bilayer. Phospholipids spontaneously form stable bilayers, with their polar head groups exposed to water and their hydrophobic tails buried in the interior of the membrane.
What chemical property characterizes the interior of the phospholipid bilayer? 2 fatty acids attached to glycerol. Phosphate group attached to the glycerol. Spontaneously forms a bilayer.
Phospholipids contain glycerol, two fatty acids, a phosphate and a basic component.
A phospholipid consists of 1) a polar (hydrophilic) phosphate group head, 2) a glycerol molecule, and 3) 2 non-polar (hydrophobic) fatty acid tails.
Lipid bilayers
The protective membrane around cells contains many components, including cholesterol, proteins, glycolipids, glycerophospholipids, and sphingolipids.
The plasma membrane is made up primarily of a bilayer of phospholipids with embedded proteins, carbohydrates, glycolipids, and glycoproteins, and, in animal cells, cholesterol.
Part of the cell membrane is a phospholipid bilayer, made of two layers of phospholipid molecules. However, the cell membrane also contains other macromolecules like membrane proteins, and carbohydrates. Therefore, we can say that the cell membrane is made of a phospholipid bilayer, but it is not only made of it.
What holds phospholipids in a bilayer formation?
Properties of the Phospholipid Bilayer:
The bilayer is held together by weak hydrophobic interactions between the tails. Hydrophilic / hydrophobic layers restrict the passage of many substances. Individual phospholipids can move within the bilayer, allowing for membrane fluidity and flexibility.
In contrast, the interior of the membrane, between its two surfaces, is a hydrophobic or nonpolar region because of the fatty acid tails. This region has no attraction for water or other polar molecules (we will discuss this further in the next page).

In a membrane bilayer, the hydrophilic heads of phospholipids face outwards, touching the aqueous fluid both inside and outside the cell. Because water is polar, it creates electrostatic connections with phospholipid heads easily.
Hydrophobic Component of the Phospholipid Bilayer
The phospholipid hydrophobic part is the fatty acid tails. These tails are made of carbon and hydrogen chains. The non-polar nature of the bonds between the carbon and hydrogen prevent interactions with water molecules. This makes the tails hydrophobic.
So, the correct answer is 'Two layers of phospholipids where the outer layer has the hydrophilic heads facing toward the outside of the cell and the inner layer have the hydrophobic tails facing toward the inside of the cell.
Peripheral proteins are typically found on the inner or outer surface of the lipid bilayer but can also be attached to the internal or external surface of an integral protein.
Phospholipids are molecules that form the cell membrane. They consist of a polar phosphate head group and two nonpolar fatty acid tails joined by a glycerol backbone.
Phospholipids consist of a hydrophilic phosphate group, two hydrophobic fatty acid chains joined by a glycerol molecule. This characteristic amphipathic nature of phospholipids makes them an important component of the cell membrane.
Phospholipid Structure
A phospholipid is made up of two fatty acid tails and a phosphate group head.
Water is a charged molecule, so it cannot get through the lipid part of the bilayer.
What does the phospholipid bilayer of the plasma membrane contain?
3: The phospholipid bilayer of a cell membrane contains embedded protein molecules which allow for selective passage of ions and molecules through the membrane.
Thus, both surfaces of the plasma membrane are hydrophilic. In contrast, the interior of the membrane, between its two surfaces, is a hydrophobic or nonpolar region because of the fatty acid tails. This region has no attraction for water or other polar molecules.
Phospholipid 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.
The lipid bilayer is a noncovalent assembly. The proteins and lipid molecules are held together by noncovalent interactions such as Van der Waals forces (which holds the hydrophobic tails together) and hydrogen bonding (which binds the hydrophilic heads with water), which help to stabilize the lipid bilayer structure.
The phospholipid bilayer consists of two layers of phospholipids, with a hydrophobic, or water-hating, interior and a hydrophilic, or water-loving, exterior.
The hydrophilic heads of phospholipids in a membrane bilayer face outward, contacting the aqueous (watery) fluid both inside and outside the cell. Since water is a polar molecule, it readily forms electrostatic (charge-based) interactions with the phospholipid heads.
The phospholipid heads are on the outside of the cell membrane because they are polar and hydrophilic, which means they like water. The phospholipid tails are on the inside of the cell membrane because they are nonpolar and hydrophobic, which means they repel water.
Properties of the phospholipid bilayer
Phospholipids are amphiphilic. Phospholipids can self-assemble. The major driving force for this property is the hydrophobic effect that repels the lipid chains from water to form micelles or liposomes.
The "head" of the molecule contains the phosphate group and is hydrophilic, meaning that it will dissolve in water. The "tail" of the molecule is made up of two fatty acids, which are hydrophobic and do not dissolve in water.
Understanding: Phospholipids form bilayers in water due to the amphipathic properties of phospholipid molecules. Amphipathic means there are both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions in a single molecule. Phospholipids have a hydrophilic head region and hydrophobic tails.
Where are phospholipids most commonly found inside of cells?
The correct answer is (c) cell membranes. Phospholipids are the primary molecule that makes up the structure of cell membranes. They are uniquely suited for this job because they have a polar end and a nonpolar end which causes them to spontaneously form a bilayer in aqueous solution.
What chemical property characterizes the interior of the phospholipid bilayer? a. It is hydrophobic.
Being cylindrical, phospholipid molecules spontaneously form bilayers in aqueous environments. In this energetically most-favorable arrangement, the hydrophilic heads face the water at each surface of the bilayer, and the hydrophobic tails are shielded from the water in the interior.
Sphingolipid is a type of phospholipid that is present in the cell membrane.
Phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) are the most abundant phospholipids in all mammalian cell membranes.
Phosphoglycerides (also known as glycerophospholipids) are the most abundant phospholipids in cell membranes.
Properties of the Phospholipid Bilayer:
Hydrophilic / hydrophobic layers restrict the passage of many substances. Individual phospholipids can move within the bilayer, allowing for membrane fluidity and flexibility. This fluidity allows for the spontaneous breaking and reforming of membranes (endocytosis / exocytosis)
Phospholipids are amphipathic molecules. This means that they have a hydrophilic, polar phosphate head and two hydrophobic fatty acid tails. These components of the phospholipids cause them to orientate themselves, so the phosphate head can interact with water and the fatty acid tails can't, hence forming a bilayer.
Answer and Explanation: The correct answer is (D) They have both a hydrophobic and a hydrophilic ends. Phospholipids are amphipathic, meaning that they have both a hydrophilic (phosphate head) and hydrophobic (lipid tails) section....