Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism

Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism

Lipids also are sources of energy that power cellular processes. Like carbohydrates, lipids are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, but these atoms are arranged differently. Most lipids are nonpolar and hydrophobic. Major types include fats and oils, waxes, phospholipids, and steroids.
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...

Carboxylic Acids to Esters: Acid-Catalyzed (Fischer) Esterification Mechanism

Carboxylic Acids to Esters: Acid-Catalyzed (Fischer) Esterification Mechanism

Carboxylic acids react with alcohols to yield esters via an acid-catalyzed condensation reaction called Fischer esterification. This is a nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction that proceeds via a tetrahedral intermediate, where a water molecule is eliminated as the leaving group.

Lipids as Anchors

Lipids as Anchors

In the plasma membrane, the lipids forming the bilayer can also act as an anchor to tether proteins to the membrane. The three main types of lipid anchors found in eukaryotes are – prenyl groups, fatty acyl groups, and glycosylphosphatidylinositol or GPI groups. Prenyl and fatty acyl groups act as anchors on the cytosolic surface of the membrane, whereas GPI anchors proteins on the extracellular side.
The carboxy-terminal of most of the prenylated proteins, such as Ras proteins, contains...

Carboxylic Acids to Esters: Acid-Catalyzed (Fischer) Esterification Overview

Carboxylic Acids to Esters: Acid-Catalyzed (Fischer) Esterification Overview

The Fischer esterification reaction was developed by the German chemist Emil Fischer in 1895. It is a condensation reaction between carboxylic acids and alcohols in an acidic medium to give esters and water.

Membrane Fluidity

Membrane Fluidity

Membrane fluidity is explained by the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane, which describes the plasma membrane structure as a mosaic of components—including phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins, and carbohydrates—that gives the membrane a fluid character.
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is...

Membrane Fluidity

Membrane Fluidity

Cell membranes are composed of phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates loosely attached to one another through chemical interactions. Molecules are generally able to move about in the plane of the membrane, giving the membrane its flexible nature called fluidity. Two other features of the membrane contribute to membrane fluidity: the chemical structure of the phospholipids and the presence of cholesterol in the membrane.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

How Proton Incorporation Reshapes Lattice Dynamics In BaSnO<sub>3</sub>-Type Proton Conductors.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026

Same author

<sup>119</sup>Sn Element-Specific Phonon Density of States of BaSnO<sub>3</sub>.

Crystals·2026

Same author

Operando X-ray Raman Ni 2p spectra of LiNi<sub>x</sub>Mn<sub>y</sub>Co1-x-yO<sub>2</sub> lithium-ion battery electrodes.

MRS advances·2026

Same author

<i>Operando</i> NRVS on LiFePO<sub>4</sub> Battery with <sup>57</sup>Fe Phonon DOS.

Crystals·2025

Same author

Strong Proton-Phonon Coupling Drives Fast Ion Transport in Perovskites.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2025

Same author

Life Cycle Assessment of Solvothermal Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-8 Synthesis: Is the Substitution of N,N-Dimethylformamide with Glycerol Carbonate Environmentally Sustainable?

ChemSusChem·2025

Same journal

Metal-Organic Framework Multizyme Colloids with Joint Antioxidant and Protease Function.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026

Same journal

Morphology Engineering of Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> via Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide-Mediated ZIF-67 Synthesis for Efficient Photo-Assisted Electrooxidation of Methanol.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026

Same journal

Speciation of Silanol Groups on Commercial Precipitated Silicas via IR Spectroscopy.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026

Same journal

Regenerable PVA Hydrogel-Functionalized Optical Fiber Sensor for Ultra-Trace Detection of Berberine Hydrochloride.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026

Same journal

Hydrogen Plasma-Driven Surface Defect Engineering of ZnO Nanorods: Correlating Electronic Structure and Photoelectrochemical Performance.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026

Same journal

Cooperative Self-Assembly of Nanoparticle-Encapsulating Hybrid Protein Cages.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes

Published on: January 16, 2016

Maze solving using fatty acid chemistry.

Kohta Suzuno¹, Daishin Ueyama, Michal Branicki

¹Graduate School of Advanced Mathematical Sciences, Meiji University , Tokyo, Japan.

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids

|June 25, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Marangoni flow, driven by pH gradients, solves mazes by visualizing shortest and all paths. This fluid dynamics approach offers a novel method for complex pathfinding problems.

More Related Videos

Identification of Fatty Acids in Bacillus cereus

Identification of Fatty Acids in Bacillus cereus

Published on: December 5, 2016

Optimized Incorporation of Alkynyl Fatty Acid Analogs for the Detection of Fatty Acylated Proteins using Click Chemistry

Optimized Incorporation of Alkynyl Fatty Acid Analogs for the Detection of Fatty Acylated Proteins using Click Chemistry

Published on: April 9, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 27, 2026

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes

Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes

Published on: January 16, 2016

Identification of Fatty Acids in Bacillus cereus

Identification of Fatty Acids in Bacillus cereus

Published on: December 5, 2016

Optimized Incorporation of Alkynyl Fatty Acid Analogs for the Detection of Fatty Acylated Proteins using Click Chemistry

Optimized Incorporation of Alkynyl Fatty Acid Analogs for the Detection of Fatty Acylated Proteins using Click Chemistry

Published on: April 9, 2021

Area of Science:

Fluid dynamics
Chemical physics
Complex systems

Background:

Marangoni flow arises from surface tension gradients.
pH gradients can induce surface tension gradients in solutions.
Maze solving traditionally requires computational algorithms.

Purpose of the Study:

To demonstrate Marangoni flow's capability in solving maze problems.
To visualize shortest and all possible paths within a channel network.
To explore a novel physical approach to pathfinding.

Main Methods:

Generating a pH gradient using an acidic hydrogel in an alkaline fatty acid solution.
Utilizing the resulting surface tension gradient to drive Marangoni flow.
Employing water-soluble dye particles to visualize fluid movement and pathfinding.

Main Results:

Marangoni flow successfully navigated the maze, moving dye particles towards the low pH exit.
The flow pattern effectively identified and visualized the shortest path.
The study demonstrated the potential for visualizing all possible paths in parallel.

Conclusions:

Marangoni flow provides a physical mechanism for solving maze problems.
This method offers a parallel processing approach to pathfinding.
The study highlights the potential of interfacial phenomena in complex problem-solving.