The Hydrophobic Effect: Explained!

[rwooduk]

We have been given this description on a slide from class:

The hydrophobic effect is believed to bean entropic effect caused by the energy cost of disrupting many hydrogen bonds by a non-polar molecule, hence disrupting the quasi-ordered water structure,and the freezing of water molecules around the non-polar molecule in a frozen structured watercage. This structure is known as a
clathrate cage.

I don't understand the "freezing" part, what's frozen? It's in reference to the formation of self-assembly of simple micelles, do they form at freezing temperatures? I honestly have no clue.

Thanks for any help trying to understand this.

 

[kiritee Gak]

Don't take the literal meaning of 'freezing' and 'frozen' here.It means that Micelles that are Amphiphatic(phobic and philic at ends) in nature disrupts ordered water structure and arranges themselves such that 'around Micelles ' the water gets frozen (gets stabilized in actual sense) forming a watercage.

 

[rwooduk]

Don't take the literal meaning of 'freezing' and 'frozen' here.It means that Micelles that are Amphiphatic(phobic and philic at ends) in nature disrupts ordered water structure and arranges themselves such that 'around Micelles ' the water gets frozen (gets stabilized in actual sense) forming a watercage.

Thanks for the reply. Hmm, thanks for explaining the frozen part. I'm still a little lost as I thought it was the disorder of the water that allowed for hydrogen bonding and formation, are you saying that this formation brings about stabilization of the water? Also, may I ask, this "cage" what exactly is it?

Thanks again.

 

[kiritee Gak]

No this does not just bring the stabilization for water but it brings it for both Micelle+Water system.Water forms a cage(clathrate) around it so that it can hold Micelle.

 

[rwooduk]

No this does not just bring the stabilization for water but it brings it for both Micelle+Water system.Water forms a cage(clathrate) around it so that it can hold Micelle.

That's very helpful, many thanks!