Question

Lipids, mainly phospholipids, make up the bulk of the cell membrane. How is the structure of the phospholipid so perfectly paired to the function of the cell membrane?

A. Phospholipids are bulky/large molecules that prevent all molecules from entering/exiting the cell.
B. The polar tails of the phospholipids provide the barrier between the exterior/interior hydrophilic environments.
C. Lipids contain high energy bonds, and these bonds help to provide the energy to move molecules across the membrane.
D. The head of the phospholipid, which is hydrophilic, helps to control the movement of large hydrophobic molecules, and the tails of the phospholipid, which are hydrophobic, help to control the movement of large hydrophilic molecules.

Answer 1

Hey there Kkaasshh,

Based on my understanding, Lipids, mainly phospholipids, make up the bulk of the cell membrane. How is the structure of the phospholipid so perfectly paired to the function of the cell membrane, this would be because of option D.)

The reason why there so perfectly paired to the function of the cell membrane is because the head of the phospholipid, which is hydrophilic, helps to control the movement of large hydrophobic molecules, and the tails of the phospholipid, which are hydrophobic, help to control the movement of large hydrophilic molecules.

Hope this helps.
~Jurgen

Answer 2

The correct answer is option D. "The head of the phospholipid, which is hydrophilic, helps to control the movement of large hydrophobic molecules, and the tails of the phospholipid, which are hydrophobic, help to control the movement of large hydrophilic molecules".

Step-by-step explanation:

Phospholipids are molecules that are amphiphilic in nature because are comprised of a head that is hydrophilic and a tail that is hydrophobic. The structure of the phospholipids is perfectly paired with the function of the cell membrane towards transporting proteins and other biomolecules. The head of the phospholipids helps to control the movement of large hydrophobic molecules, while the tails help to control the movement of large hydrophilic molecules. The hydrophilic nature of the head controls the way the hydrophobic molecules are transported because they repel each other while, the hydrophobic nature of the tails controls the way the hydrophilic molecules are transported for the same reason.