What is the chemical structure for lipids?
Lipids are an essential component of the cell membrane. The structure is typically made of a glycerol backbone, 2 fatty acid tails (hydrophobic), and a phosphate group (hydrophilic). As such, phospholipids are amphipathic.
How are lipids named?
Lipids have common names , e.g., myristic acid. The systematic name takes into account the number of carbons in the hydrophobic chain, e.g., tetradodecanoic acid for the 14 carbons of myristic acid. The symbol nomenclature takes into account the number of carbons in the chain and the number of unsaturated bonds.
What are the 4 structural types of lipids?
In Summary: Lipids Major types include fats and oils, waxes, phospholipids, and steroids. Fats are a stored form of energy and are also known as triacylglycerols or triglycerides.
What are the three structures of lipids?
There are three main types of lipids: triglycerides, phospholipids, and sterols.
What is the chemical structure of fat?
Fats and oils A fat molecule consists of two kinds of parts: a glycerol backbone and three fatty acid tails. Glycerol is a small organic molecule with three hydroxyl (OH) groups, while a fatty acid consists of a long hydrocarbon chain attached to a carboxyl group.
What are basic chemical units of lipids?
The basic unit of lipids is a triglyceride, synthesised from glycerol (propane-1,2,3-triol) and fatty acids. Glycerol is a type of alcohol.
What are structural lipids in membranes?
Membrane lipids are a group of compounds (structurally similar to fats and oils) which form the double-layered surface of all cells (lipid bilayer). The three major classes of membrane lipids are phospholipids, glycolipids, and cholesterol.
What is the chemical formula for saturated fat?
CnH2nO2
These fatty acids are referred to as saturated because the hydrocarbon chain is saturated with hydrogen atoms due to the absence of double bonds. Its general formula is CnH2nO2, where there are twice as many hydrogen atoms as there are carbon atoms, and there are always two oxygen atoms.