Hydrophobic Surfaces in Two-faced (Janus) Molecules

Nature has excelled at utilizing noncovalent interactions and the hydrophobic effect to create macromolecules and molecular complexes. Such noncovalent intractions range from purely charge-charge interactions to hydrophobic effects, from hydrogen-bonding to van der Waals interaction, and from cation-pi interaction to pi-pi stacking.

What is so intriguing is the finesse with which molecular components utilize such weak interactions to hold complexes together. For example, glucose is typically referred to as a hydrophilic solute. While glucose's high solublity in water follows from its hydrogen-bonding with water, glucose is also capable of forming complexes through the hydrophobic effect.