amphipathic
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
[edit] Adjective
amphipathic (not comparable)
- (chemistry) describing a molecule, such as a detergent, which has both hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups.
- (biochemistry) often refers to the surface(s) on a protein, particularly an alpha helix, where one surface of the alpha helix has hydrophilic amino acids and the opposite face has hydrophobic (or lipophilic) amino acids.
