What is Phospholipid?
[[File:Phospholipid TvanBrussel.jpg|thumb|300px|Phospholipid]] [[File:Phospholipid Chemicalmakeup.png|thumb|200px| The left image shows a phospholipid, and the right image shows the chemical makeup.]] [[Image:Cell membrane detailed diagram 4.svg|thumb|185px|[[Cell membrane]]s consist of phospholipid bilayers]] '''Phospholipids''' are a type of [[lipid|fat]] that contain [[phosphorus]].<ref>Introduction to lipids. Carnegie Mellon University. [http://telstar.ote.cmu.edu/biology/MembranePage/index2.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612051816/http://telstar.ote.cmu.edu/biology/MembranePage/index2.html |date=2007-06-12 }}</ref> They are major parts of all [[cell membranes]] because they form [[lipid bilayer]]s. Phospholipid molecules usually have [[hydrophobic]] tails and a [[Hydrophile|hydrophilic]] head.<ref>hydrophobic = water-rejecting; hydrophilic = water-loving.</ref> Biological membranes in [[eukaryotes]] also contain another class of lipid, [[Sterol|sterols]]. These are spaced out among the phospholipids. Together they provide membrane fluidity and mechanical strength. Purified phospholipids are produced commercially and have found applications in nanotechnology and materials science.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Mashaghi S; Jadidi T. & Koenderink G. Mashaghi A. | year = 2013| title = Lipid nanotechnology | journal = Int. J. Mol. Sci. | volume = 2013 | issue = 14| pages = 4242–4282 | doi = 10.3390/ijms14024242 | pmid = 23429269| pmc = 3588097| doi-access = free}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} {{chem-stub}} [[Category:Lipids]]