一直有这个疑问，今天想简单调研一下：

先查字典：

amphipathic

amphiphilic

http://the-difference-between.com/amphiphilic/amphipathic

Amphipathic is a see also of amphiphilic.
As adjectives the difference between amphipathic and amphiphilic is that amphipathic is (chemistry) describing a molecule, such as a detergent, which has both hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups whileamphiphilic is (chemistry|of a molecule) being a detergent: having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic (or lipophilic) groups.

感觉是完全一样？

英文维基在lipid词条下有老外们在争论

Amphipathic? This makes no sense[edit]

You mean Amphiphilic right? I hope you dont mind if I make a few minor chances to make it more technically accurate. Jedi Dan

Amphipathic and amphiphilic are both correct and both mean that the molecule is part hydrophobic and part hydrophilic. GFP 06:15, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

Some people introduce a difference between amphipathic and amphiphilic :

• amphipathic refers to molecule that are preferentially located at a polar-apolar interface. From this point of view, a phospholipid is amphipathic.

• amphiphilic refers to compounds that can be solved in a polar or an apolar phase, but are not necessarely located at the interface.

-- hope it's help 136.159.234.84 20:42, 12 July 2006 (UTC) amphipathic and amphiphilic both mean the same lipid has a polar head which is hydrophilic and along chain of hydrocarbon chain which is hydrophobic.amolecule with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic ends is termed as amphipathic —Preceding unsigned comment added by Johnsonpit (talk • contribs) 16:04, 19 October 2010 (UTC)

The link to Amphiphilic defines it as water-loving and fat-loving, which contrasts the property placed right next to Amphiphilic on this page? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.128.80.4 (talk) 11:42, 28 August 2013 (UTC)

• Jedi Dan "fixed" amphipathic to say amphiphilic, but most biochemistry texts use amphipathic in that context; it should be changed back. It is linked; people can look it up if they are unclear.

有趣的是，在一些论文中，这两个词居然是同时存在的！例如：

Synthesis, micellization behavior and alcohol induced amphipathic cellulose film of cellulose-based amphiphilic surfactant

Folding Amphipathic Helices Into Membranes: Amphiphilicity Trumps Hydrophobicity

这就更加让我费解了

在数据库里搜了一下，结合抗菌的关键词，amphipathic用的多略多一点。

Results: 1,355

You searched for:TOPIC: (amphipathic) ANDTOPIC: (antimicrobial)...MoreTOPIC: (amphipathic) ANDTOPIC: (antimicrobial)          

...Less

Results: 985

Results: 756

Results: 689

又在一本表面活性剂的书里，看到这两个词基本上作为同义词在用的。

http://prr.hec.gov.pk/Chapters/1344S-1.pdf

1.1 Surfactants

A surfactant or amphiphile is a substance that can adsorb at interface of thesystem and decrease interfacial free energy. The term interface is used to indicate theborder between two phases that are immiscible and surface is the one where one phase isair or gas.The minimum work for creation of interface is called the interfacial free energy.The surface tension is actually the interfacial free energy per unit area. The surfactantadsorbs at interfaces of system and brings a notable change into the work to expandinterfaces. Surfactants, in most of cases lessen interfacial tension , however there arecase where they are used to augment it [1, 2].

1.2. Amphipathic or amphiphilic structure of surfactants

Surfactants have specific structure having a group that shows repugnance forsolvent, called lyophobic group, and the other being strongly irresistible for solvent calledlyophilic group. The structure having lyophilic as well as lyophobic group in a samecompound is known as amphiphilic, diphillic or amphipathic structure. Such nature ofsurfactants may be regareded as “split personality”. It is exactly this nature of surfactantmolecules that underlines their tendency to gather at interfaces. If water is being used asa solvent then lyophilic part may be regarded as hydrophilic and lyophobic part ashydrophobic one. The polar or hydrophilic part is referred to as the head group and nonpolaror hydrophobic as the tail. The polar or hydrophilic part may have either positiveor negative charge, giving rise to cationic or anionic surfactants respectively, or may becomposed of polyoxyethylene chain, as in the most of the nonionic surfactants. Thenonionic or the hydrophobic portion of the molecule is usually a flexible hydrocarbonchain although many compounds especially those of biological interest, may havearomatic hydrophobic group. An example of amphiphilic compound having dual nature 2is Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)

暂时的结论：这两个词其实是一个意思，但在生化领域好像amphipathic好像用的略多一些。

我在文章里一般用amphiphilic, 但是我答辩的时候，一位评委也曾质疑我用错，认为应该用amphipathic.

继续多看文献多体会。