What is the difference between hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances?

[pivoxa15]

hydrophilic substance means it is attracted to water

hydrophobic substance means it is immiscible with water

But the fact is the property of hydrophobic is more to do with water not wanting to bind with them. Not them hating water. They would bind if a drop of them was thrown onto water.

Likewise hydrophilic substance is not they wanting to bind with water but rather water wanting to bind with them. i.e. a drop of hydrophilic substance would form a bead instead of forming a film on the water.

I just thought I would share this strange fact.

 

[EmilK]

It really has no relevance which of the descriptions one chooses to use - they are both almost equally wrong. It has nothing to do with the substances not 'wanting' to be close to the water or the other way around.

Prof. Robert A. Weinberg gives a better view of it in the fourth video lecture, if you want to learn more about it in a visual way http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Biology/7-012Fall-2004/VideoLectures/index.htm.

 

[pivoxa15]

Do you know about when in the video he goes to speak about this hydro issue?