Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity01:21

Polymer Classification: Crystallinity

Unlike ionic or small covalent molecules, polymers do not form crystalline solids due to the diffusion limitations of their long-chain structures. However, polymers contain microscopic crystalline domains separated by amorphous domains.
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
Ionic Crystal Structures02:42

Ionic Crystal Structures

Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
Factors Affecting Dissolution: Polymorphism, Amorphism and Pseudopolymorphism01:21

Factors Affecting Dissolution: Polymorphism, Amorphism and Pseudopolymorphism

Polymorphism refers to the existence of a drug substance in multiple crystalline forms, known as polymorphs. Recently, this term has been expanded to include solvates (forms containing a solvent), amorphous forms (non-crystalline forms), and desolvated solvates (forms from which the solvent has been removed).
Some polymorphic crystals possess lower aqueous solubility than their amorphous counterparts, leading to incomplete absorption. For instance, the oral suspension of Chloramphenicol, which...
Solubility03:00

Solubility

Solution, Solubility, and Solubility Equilibrium
A solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent, the major component, and a solute, the minor component. The physical state of a solution—solid, liquid, or gas—is typically the same as that of the solvent. Solute concentrations are often described with qualitative terms such as dilute (of relatively low concentration) and concentrated (of relatively high concentration).
In a solution, the solute particles (molecules, atoms, and/or ions)...
Micelles01:30

Micelles

Micelle formation is an intricate process that hinges on the properties of amphiphilic or amphipathic molecules and the conditions of the system in which they are found. Amphiphilic molecules, which have both hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repelling) parts, play a critical role in this process.In aqueous environments, these molecules arrange themselves such that their hydrophilic heads are turned towards the water phase, while their hydrophobic tails are oriented away...
Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:20

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

The polymerization process that involves carbanion as an intermediate is called anionic polymerization. It is also a type of addition or chain-growth polymerization. Anionic polymerization gets initiated by a strong nucleophile such as an organolithium or a Grignard reagent. The most commonly used initiator for anionic polymerization is butyl lithium. Monomers involved in anionic polymerization must possess a vinyl group bonded to one or two electron-withdrawing groups. For instance,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Thermal Stability of Organic Semiconductor Thin Film Glasses by Local Changes in Spontaneous Orientation Polarization.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2025
Same author

Quantum simulations of neutral water clusters and singly-charged water cluster anions.

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP·2022
Same author

Tribocatalytic behaviour of a TiO<sub>2</sub> atmospheric plasma spray (APS) coating in the presence of the friction modifier MoDTC: a parametric study.

RSC advances·2022
Same author

Interrelation of Elasticity and Thermal Bath in Nanotube Cantilevers.

Physical review letters·2021
Same author

Paediatric nasal irrigation: The "fencing" method.

European annals of otorhinolaryngology, head and neck diseases·2020
Same author

Paths towards equilibrium in molecular systems: The case of water.

Physical review. E·2019
Same journal

Linker Engineering toward NIR-II Metal-Organic Framework with Maximal Emission beyond 1000 nm for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Imaging.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same journal

Observing Kinetic Selectivity in Anthracene Photodimerization through Selective Quenching by Excited States of Proximate Rare Earth Cations.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same journal

Sequence-Dependent Folding of Recognition-Encoded Melamine Oligomers.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same journal

Large Thermo- and Mechanosalient Actuation via Cooperative Twist Elasticity-Induced Packing Motif Conversion.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same journal

Discovery and Biosynthesis of Lanthipeptides Featuring an Azepinoindole Scaffold by Radical <i>S</i>-Adenosylmethionine Enzyme-Catalyzed C-C Bond Formation.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same journal

Enantiopurity-Controlled Magnetism in a Two-Dimensional Organic-Inorganic Material.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
06:44

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding

Published on: March 24, 2018

Amphiphillic organic crystals.

J J Segura1, A Verdaguer, M Cobián

  • 1Centre d'Investigació en Nanociència i Nanotecnologia, CIN2 (CSIC-ICN), Edifici CM7, Esfera UAB, Campus de Bellaterra, E-08193 Barcelona, Spain.

Journal of the American Chemical Society
|November 18, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Amphiphilic character, the ability to attract and repel water, is now demonstrated in crystalline solids like l-alanine. This discovery extends the concept beyond organic molecules to molecular crystals, revealing their dipolar origins.

More Related Videos

From Constructs to Crystals &#8211; Towards Structure Determination of &#946;-barrel Outer Membrane Proteins
09:55

From Constructs to Crystals – Towards Structure Determination of β-barrel Outer Membrane Proteins

Published on: July 4, 2016

High-throughput Crystallization of Membrane Proteins Using the Lipidic Bicelle Method
07:26

High-throughput Crystallization of Membrane Proteins Using the Lipidic Bicelle Method

Published on: January 9, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 18, 2026

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding
06:44

From Molecules to Materials: Engineering New Ionic Liquid Crystals Through Halogen Bonding

Published on: March 24, 2018

From Constructs to Crystals &#8211; Towards Structure Determination of &#946;-barrel Outer Membrane Proteins
09:55

From Constructs to Crystals – Towards Structure Determination of β-barrel Outer Membrane Proteins

Published on: July 4, 2016

High-throughput Crystallization of Membrane Proteins Using the Lipidic Bicelle Method
07:26

High-throughput Crystallization of Membrane Proteins Using the Lipidic Bicelle Method

Published on: January 9, 2012

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Surface Science
  • Crystallography

Background:

  • Amphiphilicity, the dual hydrophilic and hydrophobic nature, is typically associated with organic molecules like phospholipids and surfactants.
  • This property has been extended to artificial structures, including Janus particles and patterned surfaces.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate and explain the amphiphilic character of crystalline solids.
  • To investigate the behavior of l-alanine crystals when exposed to water vapor.
  • To elucidate the underlying mechanism of amphiphilicity in molecular crystals.

Main Methods:

  • Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements on different cleavage surfaces of l-alanine.
  • Computer simulations to analyze the molecular interactions and surface behavior.
  • Exposure of crystal surfaces to water vapor to observe contrasting responses.

Main Results:

  • L-alanine crystals exhibit amphiphilic behavior, attracting and repelling water on different surfaces.
  • Atomic force microscopy revealed distinct surface interactions with water vapor.
  • Computer simulations identified the dipolar nature of the molecules as the origin of this amphiphilicity.

Conclusions:

  • Amphiphilicity is not limited to organic molecules but can be found in crystalline solids.
  • The dipolar interactions within molecular crystals govern their amphiphilic properties.
  • The findings are generalizable to other dipolar molecular crystals.