Practise IB Biology SL B1.1.12 by tracing how phosphate heads face water while hydrophobic tails turn away, creating stable bilayer barriers in cell membranes.
Cells in the alveolus wall produce a surfactant. Its function is to prevent alveoli collapse at the end of expiration. Surfactants are used in the treatment of respiratory system disease in premature babies.
The table shows some of the components of different surfactant preparations.
Phospholipids found in the surfactants form a surface film on the moist lining of the alveoli. Outline how the hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts of the phospholipids in the surfactants are aligned on the alveolar surface.