Introduction
Fat
Lipids are molecules that contain
hydrocarbons and make up the building
blocks of the structure and function of
living cells. Lipids are not soluble in
water. They are non-polar and are thus
soluble in nonpolar environments like in
chloroform but not soluble in polar
environments like water. Lipids have
mainly hydrocarbons in their composition
and are highly reduced forms of carbon.
When metabolized, lipids are oxidized to
release large amounts of energy and thus
are useful to living organisms.(Mandal,
2015)
Non-hydrolysable lipids lack such
functional groups and include steroids
and fat-soluble vitamins Fats and oils are
composed of triacylglycerol or
triglycerides. The lipids are a large and
diverse group of naturally occurring
organic compounds that are related by
their solubility in nonpolar organic
solvents (e.g. ether, chloroform, acetone &
benzene) and general insolubility in
water.
Some of the most important types of
lipids include fats and oils, waxes,
phospholipids, and steroids.
The different varieties of lipids
have different structures, and
correspondingly diverse roles in
organisms. For instance, lipids store
energy, provide insulation, make up cell
membranes, form water-repellent layers
on leaves, and provide building blocks for
hormones like testosterone.
Fats are just one type of lipid, a
category of molecules united by their
inability to mix well with water.
molecule consists of two kinds of parts: a
glycerol backbone and three fatty acid
tails.
If there are only single bonds
between neighboring carbons in the
hydrocarbon chain, a fatty acid is
saturated. When the hydrocarbon chain
double bond, the fatty acid is said to be
unsaturated, as it now has fewer
hydrogen. If there is just one double bond
in a fatty acid its monounsaturated, while
if there are multiple double bonds, its
polyunsaturated. Trans fats are rare in
nature, but are readily produced in an
industrial procedure called partial
hydrogenation.
Waxes are another biologically
important category of lipids. Its
hydrophobic (water-repelling) properties
prevent water from sticking to, or soaking
into, the surface.. Structurally, waxes
typically contain long fatty acid chains
connected to alcohols by ester linkages.
Specialized lipids called
phospholipids are major components of
the plasma membrane. Like fats, they are
typically composed of fatty acid chains
attached to a backbone of glycerol.
Instead having three fatty acid tails,
however, phospholipids generally have
just two, and a modified phosphate group
occupies the third carbon of the glycerol
backbone.
Steroids are another class of lipid
molecules, identifiable by their structure
of four fused rings. Steroids are included
in lipid category because they are also
hydrophobic and insoluble in water. All
steroids have four linked carbon rings
and several of them, like cholesterol, also
have a short tail.
Cholesterol, the most common
steroid, is mainly synthesized in the liver
and is the precursor to many steroid
hormones. Its also a key component of
cell membranes, altering their fluidity and
dynamics.
Resources:
Mandal, M. D. (2012, October 09). What
are Lipids? Retrieved May 08, 2017, from
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/
biology/macromolecules/lipids/a/lipids
(n.d.). Retrieved May 08, 2017, from
https://www2.chemistry.msu.edu/faculty
/reusch/virttxtjml/lipids.htm
(2006).Lipids Retrieved May 08, 2017,
from
http://www.chem.ucla.edu/~harding/no
tes/notes_14C_lipids.pdf