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Hydrophobic

A hydrophobic molecule is repelled by water; literally, hydrophobe means something with a fear of water. Hydrophobic molecules often cluster together when dropped in water, just as oil does. Hydrophobic molecules are also called lipophilic because they will dissolve in oils and other lipids. They tend to be electrically neutral and nonpolar and work better with neutral and nonpolar solvents.

In a hydrophobic interaction, although it seems that the hydrophobic molecules are rejecting water, what's actually happening is that water is rejecting the hydrophobic molecules in favour of bonding to itself. Water bonds easily with polar molecules, and since water itself is polar, it will prefer water molecules (polar) to oil molecules (nonpolar). Hydrophobic molecules then tend to cluster together, though they're not attracted to each other, because according to thermodynamics, large numbers of like molecules are energetically more favourable than smaller numbers.

Hydrophobic molecules include alkanes, oils, fats, and other greasy substances. Hydrophobic solvents are used to clean up oil slicks and manage oil spills and in dry-cleaning.

Web Resources On Hydrophobic

The Hydrophobic Effect
Long-Range Hydrophobic Interactions

Book Resources On Hydrophobic

The Hydrophobic Effect by Charles Tanford
Chromatography of Synthetic and Biological Polymers by Roger Epton

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