Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Why is brevetoxin lipid-soluble? Looking for answer about chemistry, possibly something to do with functional groups.

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If you look at the structure of brevetoxin you will see that there are no functional groups that would give the molecule polarity (e.g. OH NH2, etc.). Polarity is essential for water solubility, but polar molecules are generally insoluble in non-polar lipids. The general rule for solubility is "like is soluble in like."