Lipids

Lipids:
- They are esters of fatty acids and alcohols.
- They are organic molecules which are insoluble in water.
Fatty acids:
- They are a series of acids found in lipids.
- They contain acid heads with the -COOH group and hydrocarbon tails.
If the hydrocarbon tails contains a double carbon-carbon bond it is called unsaturated
because they do not contain the maximum amount of hydrogen possible.
- These form unsaturated lipids:
1. Monounsaturated: Containing only one double carbon-carbon bond
2. Polyunsaturated: Containing more than one carbon-carbon bond
- double carbon-carbon bonds make lipids melt more easily.
If the hydrocarbon tail has no double bonds it is called saturated.
Animal lipids are often unsaturated and occur as fats, while plant lipids are often
unsaturated and occur as oils.

Alcohols:
- They all contain the -OH group.
- Glycerol is an alcohol with 3 -OH groups.
Esters:
- The reaction between an alcohol and an acid produces an ester.
- The chemical link between an acid and an alcohol is an ester bond or ester linkage (-COO-).
- They are formed by condensation reactions and can be broken down by hydrolysis.

 Triglycerides:
- They are the most common type of lipid.
- Structure:
It is made up of 3 fatty acids and the alcohol, glycerol.
Each of the -OH group of glycerol undergoes a condensation reaction to join with a fatty
acid.
They are non-polar molecules because of the non-polar nature of the hydrocarbon tails,
which means that they are hydrophobic and are not soluble in water.
They are soluble in certain organic solvents such as ether, chloroform, and ethanol.
- Functions:
1. As an energy reserve: They have more C-H bonds than carbohydrates, which means
that on oxidation they will yield more energy than carbohydrates (higher calorific value).
In humans, fat is usually stored around the kidneys.
2. As an insulator: In humans, fat is also stored below the skin to prevent heat loss.
Similarly, blubber found in whales acts to provide buoyancy.
3. As a metabolic source of water: When oxidised by respiration, triglycerides are
converted into carbon dioxide and water.
Phospholipids:
- They are a special type of lipid, similar to a triglyceride but with one fatty acid molecule
replaced by a phosphate group.
- Their heads are polar because of the phosphate group and, therefore, are hydrophilic. But,
their tails are non-polar (hydrophobic).
- Their special properties allow them to form membranes around cells with the hydrophilic
heads on the outside (facing the watery solution outside the membrane). The hydrophobic
tails form a layer which is impermeable to hydrophilic substances.