Biochemistry

Today in biochemistry we learned about the hydrophobic effect. That is when nonpolar molucules that are exposed to an aqueous environment bunch together. The process is driven by entropy. Because molecules in nature perfer to be disordered, the nonpolar molecule bunch together to minimize interactions with the polar water molecules. The water molecules can form dipole-dipole interactions with one and other because water has permanent, partical charges. The nonpolar molecules form van der waal interactions between themselves. This process can be seen in salad dressing when the bottle is shaken. The bubbles of oil that are formed disperse but reappear after a few minutes.