Lipids are not able to diffuse within a cell membr2. If you remove the polar head group of a phospholipid molecule and then put a long hydrophobic hydrocarbon tail in its place you would end up with a
a. Sphingolipid
b. Cholesterol
c. Neutral Fat
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is d. Detergent molecule.
When you remove the polar head group of a phospholipid and replace it with a long hydrophobic hydrocarbon tail, the resulting molecule behaves similarly to a detergent molecule. Detergents are amphipathic compounds, meaning they have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, allowing them to interact with both water and lipids. However, in this case, without the polar head group, the molecule would not have the ability to interact with water in the same way as a traditional detergent but would still retain the hydrophobic tail that can interact with lipids.
Phospholipids naturally have a hydrophilic (water-loving) head group and a hydrophobic (water-repellent) tail. This structure allows phospholipids to form the bilayer of cell membranes, where the hydrophobic tails face inward, away from water, and the hydrophilic heads face outward, toward the aqueous environment. If the head group is removed and replaced with a longer hydrophobic tail, the molecule will no longer be amphipathic. Instead, it will behave like a hydrophobic detergent that can disrupt lipid bilayers by inserting into membranes and breaking them apart.
Detergents, which are usually made from amphipathic molecules, function in a similar manner by emulsifying lipids and proteins in aqueous solutions, allowing substances like oils and fats to mix with water. Thus, the modified phospholipid with only hydrophobic tails would resemble the behavior of detergents more than other lipid types such as sphingolipids, cholesterol, or neutral fats, which have different structural characteristics.