change, alter, vary, modify mean to make or become different. change implies making either an essential difference often amounting to a loss of original identity or a substitution of one thing for another. changed the shirt for a larger size; alter implies a difference in some particular respect without suggesting loss of identity.
hydrophilic - having a strong affinity for water; tending to dissolve in, mix with, or be wetted by water. chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions.
Some hydrophilic substances do not dissolve. This type of mixture is called a colloid. An approximate rule of thumb for hydrophilicity of organic compounds is that solubility of a molecule in water is more than 1 mass % if there is at least one neutral hydrophile group per 5 carbons, or at least one electrically charged hydrophile group per 7 carbons. Hydrophilic substances (ex: salts) can seem to attract water out of the air.