Hydrophobic
Hydrophobic or lipophilic species, or hydrophobes, tend
to be electrically neutral and nonpolar, and thus preferring other
neutral and nonpolar solvents or molecular environments. Hydrophobic
is often used interchangeably with "oily" or lipophilic".
Examples of hydrophobic molecules include
the alkanes, oils, fats and greasy substances in general. Hydrophobic
materials are used for oil removal from water, managing oil spills,
and chemical separation processes to remove non-polar from polar
compounds.
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