In the phospholipid bilayer of a membrane, the fatty acid tails point inwards because they
- A. are attracted to water molecules
- B. carry a strong negative charge
- C. are non polar and are excluded from the surrounding water
- D. are forced inwards by membrane proteins
Explanation
The hydrophobic tails avoid water while the polar phosphate heads face it, so the bilayer assembles itself with tails inside. This arrangement is driven by the chemistry of the tails themselves, not by proteins, which are inserted into a bilayer that has already formed.
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