Ampiphile

Ampiphiles are a basic class of molecules that have portions of the molecule that like water (hydrophilic) and portions that dislike water (hydrophilic). Hydrotropes are the simplest examples and these do not form long-lived self-assembled structures in water but can increase the solubility of water-disliking compounds. Surfactants are those that do form self-assembled structures and are commonly used to clean or remove organic matter, for example detergents. In cell biology, lipids are an important ampiphile and help define cell structure and form lipid bilayers.