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Lipids

1. Lipids contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen but with a higher proportion of C and H and a
lower proportion of O than in carbohydrates.
2. Substances that are classified as lipids do not dissolve in water but readily dissolve in other
lipids and in organic solvents such as ethanol and chloromethaneids like chloroform.
(Definition of lipids is based on this property A lipid is .
)
3. The main groups of lipids are
(i) Triglycerides (fats and oils)
(iii) Steroids

(ii) phospholipids
(iv) waxes

Lecithin

TRIGLYCERIDES
1. Triglycerides are composed of 3 molecules of fatty acids (which may all be the same or
different) and one molecule of glycerol.
2. A fatty acid (carboxylic acid) is a long unbranched hydrocarbon chain with a carboxyl group
(-COOH) at one end.
3. A fatty acid may be saturated or unsaturated.
a. Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds between their carbon atoms. Example: stearic
acid. (C?H?COOH).
b. Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds between their carbon atoms.
Examples: linoleic acid (C?H?COOH) and oleic acid (C?H?COOH).

4. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) cannot be synthesized in the body, and must be obtained from
the diet. E.g.-linoleic acid, linolenic acid.
5. Non-essential fatty acids can be synthesized from EFAs.
6. Glycerol - an alcohol with 3 C atoms & 3 hydroxyl (-OH) groups.
7. A triglyceride is formed when a glycerol molecule forms 3 ester bonds with 3 fatty acids. The
reaction is a condensation (dehydration synthesis) reaction and the process is called
esterification.
8. Three molecules of water are eliminated during the formation of one molecule of triglyceride.

9. Triglycerides are called fats if they are solid at room temperature (20C - 25C) and those
that are liquid are called oils.
10. Fats and oils can be hydrolysed into the original
fatty acids and glycerol by enzyme reactions. (Example
of enzyme: ? )
11. Fats and oils are described as saturated if at least
one of their fatty acids are unsaturated.

12. Most animal fats (lard and butter) are saturated. Saturated fats are usually solid at room
temperature because their straight-chain fatty acids enable the triglyceride molecules to be
packed closely together.
13. Plant oils are usually unsaturated (palm oil and sunflower
oil). They have unsaturated fatty acids with kinks in their
straight chain structure, which prevent them from packing
together closely enough to solidify at room temperature.
14. Unsaturated fats can be synthetically converted to saturated
fats by adding hydrogen (hydrogenated vegetable oils). e.g.
peanut butter and margarine.
15. A diet rich in saturated fats leads to cholesterol build up in
blood vessels - atherosclerosis. Blocked vessels impede blood flow and can cause heart attacks,
so saturated fats should not be taken in excess.
Function of fats
1. The major function of fats is energy storage. A gram of fat stores more than twice as much
energy as a gram of carbohydrate such as starch because of their high concentration of C-H
bonds. Most fats contain over 40 carbon atoms. (Fats yield about 9 kcal/g of chemical energy as
compared to 4 kcal/g in carbohydrates). Animals store fats which is more compact in adipose
tissues and not starch because they have to carry their energy stores with them, unlike plants.
2. Fats in adipose tissues cushions vital organs e.g. kidneys.
3. Fats beneath the skin act as thermal insulators.
4. Fats in the subcutaneous layer in marine animals like whales and seals
help the animal remain buoyant.
Phospholipids
1. Phospholipids are triglycerides in which one of the fatty acids is
replaced by a phosphate group. It is a major component of cell membranes.
2. Additional small molecules can be linked to the phosphate group to form a variety of
phospholipids. An example is lecithin or phosphatidylcholine where choline (a component of
vitamin B) is esterified to the phosphate group to form phospholipids which are found in cell
membranes of animals and plants.
3. The phosphate group and its attachments form a hydrophilic head that has an affinity for
water while the hydrocarbon tails are hydrophobic and repel water. Thus the phospholipid
molecule is said to be amphipathic or ambivalent.
4. In water, phospholipid molecules aggregate in a single layer (monolayer) with their
hydrophilic heads in contact with water and their hydrophobic tails in the air away from water.

5. However in cells, both the internal


and external environment is aqueous.
Thus the phospholipids form a
bilayer with the hydrophobic tails
pointing inwards, away from the
watery environment and the
hydrophilic heads are on the outside
of the bilayer, in contact with the
aqueous solution.
6. The phospholipid bilayer forms a
boundary between the cell and its external environment.

Steroids, cholesterol and waxes.


1. Steroids are lipids which have a carbon skeleton made of four linked rings. Different steroids
vary in the side chains attached to the ring.

2. Cholesterol is a steroid found in animal cell membrane and many hormones including sex
hormones such as oestrogen and testosterone, which are steroids produced from cholesterol.
Other steroids include the bile salts (sodium glycocholate), corticosteroid hormones and vitamin
D (ergocalciferol, converted from ergosterol)
3. Waxes are similar to triglycerides, but contain fatty acids bonded to long-chain alcohols
rather than to glycerol. They have a protective function e.g. beeswax forming part of a
honeycomb and the wax coating on some leaves, fruits, and seed coats which acts as a
protective water-impermeable layer.

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