alleryStart learning →Why are lipids insoluble in water?
AThey are largely nonpolar and therefore hydrophobic
BThey carry a charged phosphate group on every chain
CThey are built from polar carbon and oxygen bonds
DThey dissolve only in acids and never in pure water
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. They are largely nonpolar and therefore hydrophobic
1. Lipids are hydrocarbons, built mostly from carbon to carbon and carbon to hydrogen bonds.
2. Those bonds are nonpolar, so the molecules as a whole are largely nonpolar.
3. Nonpolar molecules are hydrophobic, meaning water fearing, and so are insoluble in water.
4. A charged phosphate group appears only in phospholipids, and it is the part that does interact with water, so it cannot explain insolubility.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 "Biological Macromolecules", section 3.3 Lipids_
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