Micelles

Amphipathic compounds contain regions that are polar (or charged) and regions that are nonpolar. When amphipathic compounds are mixed with water, the two regions of the solute molecule experience conflicting tendencies; the polar, hydrophilic region interacts favourably with the solvent and tends to dissolve, but the nonpolar, hydrophobic region has the opposite tendency, to avoid contact with the water.

The nonpolar regions of the molecules cluster together to present the smallest hydrophobic area to the solvent, and the polar regions are arranged to maximize their interaction with the aqueous solvent. These stable structures of amphipathic compounds with water, called micelles, may contain hundreds or thousands of molecules