POLARITY
Since Oxygen has a greater electronegativity than Hydrogen
it pulls the shared electrons towards itself. This causes the oxygen to become
slightly
negative and the hydrogens to become slightly positive. The polar water molecules
attract each other and exclude neutral non-polar molecules in what is called
the
hydrophobic effect.
Polar liquids such as water will disolve other polar molecules, simiarly non-polar
liquids tend to disolve in each other. Simply put "Like disolves Like"
What if a large molecule has parts that are polar and parts which
are non-polar? (A lipid for example)
When in water the molecules will arrange themselves in structures
such as micelles or membranes, in which the polar parts stick out
into the water and the non-polar parts are sequestered away from the
water
Life of the Cell
