Hydrophilic vs Amphipathic - What's the difference?
hydrophilic | amphipathic |
(physics, chemistry) Having an affinity for water; able to absorb, or be wetted by water.
(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.