Amphiphile

In chemistry, an amphiphile (from Greek αμφις (amphis) 'both' and φιλíα (philia) 'love, friendship'), or amphipath, is a chemical compound possessing both hydrophilic (water-loving, polar) and lipophilic (fat-loving, nonpolar) properties. Such a compound is called amphiphilic or amphipathic. Amphiphilic compounds include surfactants and detergents. The phospholipid amphiphiles are the major structural component of cell membranes.

Amphiphiles are the basis for a number of areas of research in chemistry and biochemistry, notably that of lipid polymorphism.

Organic compounds containing hydrophilic groups at both ends of the molecule are called bolaamphiphilic. The micelles they form in the aggregate are prolate.

The lipophilic group is typically a large hydrocarbon moiety, such as a long chain of the form CH₃(CH₂)_n, with n > 4.

The hydrophilic group falls into one of the following categories:^{[citation needed]}

Often, amphiphilic species have several lipophilic parts, several hydrophilic parts, or several of both. Proteins and some block copolymers are such examples.^{[citation needed]}

Amphiphilic compounds have lipophilic (typically hydrocarbon) structures and hydrophilic polar functional groups (either ionic or uncharged).^{[citation needed]}

As a result of having both lipophilic and hydrophilic portions, some amphiphilic compounds may dissolve in water and to some extent in non-polar organic solvents.