hydrophobic (redirected from hydrophobicity)

hydrophobic /hy·dro·pho·bic/ (-fo´bik)

1. pertaining to hydrophobia (rabies).

2. not readily absorbing water, or being adversely affected by water.

3. lacking polar groups and therefore insoluble in water.

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hy·dro·pho·bic (hdr-fbk, -fbk)

adj.

1. Repelling, tending not to combine with, or unable to dissolve in water.

2. Of or exhibiting hydrophobia.

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hydrophobic

Etymology: Gk, hydor + phobos, fear

pertaining to the property of repelling or preferentially excluding water molecules, a quality possessed by nonpolar radicals or molecules that are more soluble in organic solvents than in water. Compare hydrophilic.

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hydrophobic,

adj refers to the resistance of a substance to combine with water. Hydrophobic substances, such as oil, are composed of nonpolar molecules, which tend to clump together and repel water.

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hydrophobic

1. pertaining to hydrophobia (rabies).

2. repelling water; insoluble in water; not readily absorbing water.

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hydrophobic interaction

interaction of nonpolar (un-ionizable) hydrocarbon molecules forced together because of stronger water-water interaction.

hydrophobic signal peptides

15 to 30 amino acids located at or near the N-terminus of a protein that always includes a hydrophobic core of at least eight nonpolar amino acids, found in proteins that are synthesized on membrane bound ribosomes and destined for export from the cell.