Hydrophile
A hydrophile is a
In contrast,
Molecules
A hydrophilic
Hydrophilic molecules (and portions of molecules) can be contrasted with
Hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules are also known as
An approximate rule of thumb for hydrophilicity of
Hydrophilic substances (ex: salts) can seem to attract water out of the air. Sugar is also hydrophilic, and like salt is sometimes used to draw water out of foods. Sugar sprinkled on cut fruit will "draw out the water" through hydrophilia, making the fruit mushy and wet, as in a common strawberry compote recipe.
Chemicals
Liquid hydrophilic chemicals complexed with solid chemicals can be used to optimize solubility of hydrophobic chemicals.
Liquid chemicals
Examples of hydrophilic liquids include ammonia, alcohols, some amides such as urea and some carboxylic acids such as acetic acid.
Alcohols
Hydroxyl groups (-OH), found in alcohols, are
Solid chemicals
Cyclodextrins
Cyclodextrins are used to make pharmaceutical solutions by capturing hydrophobic molecules as guest hosts. Because inclusion compounds of cyclodextrins with hydrophobic molecules are able to penetrate body tissues, these can be used to release biologically active compounds under specific conditions.[6] For example, testosterone is complexed with hydroxy-propyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPBCD), 95% absorption of testosterone was achieved in 20 minutes via the sublingual route but HPBCD was not absorbed, whereas hydrophobic testosterone is usually absorbed less than 40% via the sublingual route.[7]
Membrane filtration
Hydrophilic membrane filtration is used in several industries to filter various liquids. These hydrophilic filters are used in the medical, industrial, and biochemical fields to filter elements such as bacteria, viruses, proteins, particulates, drugs, and other contaminants. Common hydrophilic molecules include colloids, cotton, and cellulose (which cotton consists of).
Unlike other membranes, hydrophilic membranes do not require pre-wetting: they can filter liquids in their dry state. Although most are used in low-heat filtration processes, many new hydrophilic membrane fabrics are used to filter hot liquids and fluids.[8]
See also
- Hydrophilic-lipophilic balance
- Hydrophobicity scales
- Superhydrophilicity
- Ultrahydrophobicity
- Wetting
- Hygroscopic
References
- ^ Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon Oxford: Clarendon Press.[page needed]
- ^ "Definition of HYDROPHILIC". Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ^ Medical Chemistry Compendium. By Anders Overgaard Pedersen and Henning Nielsen. Aarhus University. 2008[page needed]
- ^ "Alcohols, Phenols, Thiols, and Ethers". Archived from the original on 2013-10-02. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
- PMID 10053203.
- PMID 1902483.
- ^ Kawamura, Masuhiko. "Filtration membrane for oleophilic organic liquids, method for producing it, and method for filtering oleophilic organic liquids". Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.