Lab Filtration glossary
Hydrophilic (water loving)
Having an affinity for water. A membrane which will wet with aqueous (water) solutions. Hydrophilic membranes are generally chosen for use with aqueous solutions.
FAQ Hydrophilic means having an affinity for water. A membrane which will wet with aqueous (water) solutions. Hydrophilic membranes are generally chosen for use with aqueous solutions. Nonpolar, smaller molecules are hydrophobic, they are able to cross the phospholipid bilayer of a plasma membrane easily. Polar ions and molecules are hydrophilic, they aren’t easily able to cross a hydrophobic section of the plasma membrane. There are two main regions of a lipid that can give structure of each lipid bilayer, as lipids are fats. Every lipid has a hydrophilic region, known as the polar head region, as well as a hydrophobic (nonpolar tail area). An example of a substance that has a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail is soap. Soap is able to dissolve in both water and oil, although some hydrophilic substances do not dissolve at all.
Hydrophilic means having an affinity for water. A membrane which will wet with aqueous (water) solutions. Hydrophilic membranes are generally chosen for use with aqueous solutions.
Nonpolar, smaller molecules are hydrophobic, they are able to cross the phospholipid bilayer of a plasma membrane easily. Polar ions and molecules are hydrophilic, they aren’t easily able to cross a hydrophobic section of the plasma membrane.
There are two main regions of a lipid that can give structure of each lipid bilayer, as lipids are fats. Every lipid has a hydrophilic region, known as the polar head region, as well as a hydrophobic (nonpolar tail area).
An example of a substance that has a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail is soap. Soap is able to dissolve in both water and oil, although some hydrophilic substances do not dissolve at all.