Hydrophile

A substance or molecular region that has an affinity for water and interacts readily with it, often through polarity or charge.

Hydrogen bond: An attractive interaction involving a hydrogen atom bonded to an electronegative atom and another electronegative atom. Water forms hydrogen bonds with polar groups such as hydroxyls and amines.
Polarity (chemistry): An uneven distribution of electrical charge across a chemical bond or molecule. Molecular polarity commonly provides the partial charges that attract water.
Amphiphile: A molecule containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions. Amphiphiles combine water-attracting regions with water-avoiding ones.
Hydrophobe: A substance or molecular region that interacts poorly with water and tends to avoid it. Hydrophobes contrast directly with regions that interact readily with water.
Dipole–dipole interaction: An electrostatic attraction between molecules with permanent electric dipoles. Permanent dipoles let water orient toward polar molecular regions.
Hydroxyl group: A functional group consisting of an oxygen atom bonded to a hydrogen atom. Its oxygen and hydrogen participate in hydrogen bonding with water.
Micelle: An aggregate of amphiphilic molecules with hydrophobic interiors and hydrophilic surfaces in a solvent. Hydrophilic head groups face water while hydrophobic tails cluster inward.
Lipophilicity: The tendency of a substance to dissolve in or associate with fats, oils, and other nonpolar media. Affinity for nonpolar media is related to, but not simply the inverse of, water affinity.
Hydration shell: A structured layer of water molecules surrounding a dissolved ion or polar molecule. Hydrophilic solutes organize nearby water into a local hydration layer.
Carboxyl group: A functional group containing a carbonyl and hydroxyl group attached to the same carbon. Its ionized form is strongly hydrated, while its neutral form remains polar.

Linked from 3 pages

EmulsifierRelated: Water-attracting groups help orient many emulsifiers toward the aqueous phase.