Hydrophilic refers to the property of a molecule or substance to be attracted to water and interact with it through hydrogen bonding. Hydrophilic molecules are polar, meaning they have partial or full charges, which allows them to dissolve in water and other polar solvents. Some examples of hydrophilic substances are:

• Sugar
• Salt
• Starch
• Cellulose
• Hydrophilic proteins

Hydrophilic substances have many applications in different fields, such as:

• Biomedical engineering
• Bioseparation
• Agriculture
• Food processing
• Oil recovery

Hydrophilic substances can also cause corrosion to metal surfaces and alloys. The opposite of hydrophilic is hydrophobic, which means water-repelling.