LIPIDS

Lipids are ______________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

A heterogenous group of compounds that have a greasy or oily consistency and are
relatively insoluble in water.

The proportion of oxygen in lipids is ________________ .

Example

Tristearin ( C

True lipids are _______________ formed from ________________ and _____________

Examples of Lipids

1
2
3

Functions of Lipids

______________________ (respiratory substrate)

Lipids have a high _______________ value. They yield _____________ of energy upon
-1

oxidation (Carbohydrates 17 kJg ). Their high energy content is due to the higher
proportion of hydrogen and a low proportion of oxygen compared to carbohydrates.

____________________________

Compared to _________________ , fats is a better storage material because it has less

____________________________ compared to glycogen. Therefore animals store fats
to _____________________________, as this makes movement easier.

Fats also produce more _____________________ water when oxidized compared to

glycogen.

However, glycogen is easier to break down compared to fats and requires less oxygen
for cellular respiration.

_____________________

Fats is a bad _________________ of heat and acts as a _____________________ to

prevent ____________ loss from the body.

In endothermic organisms fats is stored __________________________ ( known as

__________________ fats ) to retain body heat.
Example : Whales have thick ______________ to help retain heat .

_________________________

Fats is used as packing material around delicate organs such as ______________ to

protect them from _____________________________.

_________________________

Lipids aid buoyancy because _____________________________.

Example :

Fatty liver in sharks help keep them afloat.

________________________

Example :

__________ on skin

Prevent loss or water by evaporation

__________ on leaves
This helps terrestrial plants and animals in water conservation.

______________________________

_______________ are major constituents of cell membranes.

Solvent for vitamins _____________________ .

Source of metabolic water.

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Insulation of nerve fibres.

Fatty Acids
Formula

R (CH2)n COOH

CH3, C2H5, C3H7 , etc

1 to 16

All fatty acids contain a ________________ (-COOH) group and a long

Structure

( Normally 14-22 )

_________________ chain.

Example

Stearic acid where n=16, R=CH3

Formula

of

stearic

acid

is

CH3(CH2)16COOH

or

C17H35COOH
Structure of Stearic Acid :

Symbol :

Because

the

hydrocarbon

tails

are

_________________

fatty

acids

are

__________________ in water. The non-polar tail overshadows the water solubilizing

effect of the polar head.

Saturated and Unsaturated Fatty Acids

Fatty acids which contain one or more ______________ bonds are said to be
unsaturated.

If a fatty acid contains only one double bond, it is said to be _________________ ; if it

contains more than one double bond, it is said to be _____________________ .

Fatty acids without any double bonds are said to be ______________________.

An

example

of

an

unsaturated

fatty

acid

is

___________________

(________________ )

The

kink

in

the

unsaturated

fatty

acid

prevents

the

molecules

from

___________________ closely. The intermolecular attraction is very weak and so it is a

_____________ rather than a solid at room temperature.

In contrast, saturated fatty acids exist as ______________ chain molecules which are
closely-packed together to form ______________ at room temperature.

The melting point of unsaturated fatty acids is much _______________ than that of
saturated fatty acids. More energy is required to overcome the intermolecular attraction
in saturated fatty acids. (refer table)

Name of fatty
acid

General
formula

Saturated /
Unsaturated

Occurance

Melting
o
point ( C)

No. of
double
bonds

Strearic acid

Palmitic acid

Arachidic acid

Oleic acid

Linoleic acid

Linolenic acid

Fatty acids differ from one another in several ways :

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

Essential and Non-essential Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids are fatty acids that ____________________________________ .

They must be included in the ________________________ .

Examples : Omega 6, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, omega 3.

Non-essential fatty acids are fatty acids that ___________________________________

Example : Stearic acid

Triglycerides

Commonest lipid in nature.

Further classified as _________________ and _______________ .

Fats are ________________ at room temperature whereas oils are _____________ at

room temperature.

Components of a triglyceride molecule

A triglyceride molecule is made up of 2 components :

(i)

(ii)

Glycerol has 3 hydroxyl groups which can react

with 3 fatty acids to form a triglyceride.

Formation of a triglyceride

Triglyceride lipids are made from the

condensation of 3 fatty acids with a
glycerol molecule.

This reaction is known as _______________

The bond formed between them is known as
an ____________ bond.

The carboxyl group of the fatty acid is hydrophilic and very reactive. It reacts readily with
the hydroxyl group of glycerol.

Glycerol

3 fatty acids

Triglyceride

Water

The 3 fatty acids may be the same or they may be different.

o

3 stearic acids

tristearin (triglyceride)

3 oleic acids

triolein (triglyceride)

Like fatty acids, fats can be classified as _______________ and _______________ . A

___________________ contains mostly saturated fatty acids.
___________ at room temperature.

Saturated fats are

Examples of saturated fats are ____________ and _____________ (animal fats)

An unsaturated fat contains mostly unsaturated fatty acids. They are _____________ at
room temperature.

Examples of unsaturated fats are _________________ and _____________________

(plant fats)

Properties of triglycerides
1

Non-polar, hydrophobic and insoluble in water. Therefore can be stored in cell without
affecting the osmotic potential of the cell.

Less dense than water and therefore floats on water.

When boiled with a ________ like NaOH, the triglyceride molecule is broken down to
form glycerol and the ___________ of the fatty acids (soap).

Tristearin

3NaOH

3 sodium stearate

glycerol

The above process is known as _____________________ .

When boiled with an acid, the triglyceride molecule is broken down to ______________
and ________________________ .

The hydrocarbon side chains of the triglyceride molecule are ________________ . This
enables the molecule to be _______________ into a ________________ form. (takes up
less space, suitable as a storage material)

Phospholipids

Phospholipids are lipids which contain a _____________ group.

In

the

phospholipids

molecule,

one

of

the

fatty

acids

is

replaced

by

__________________ ( H3PO4 )

Phosphoric acid is hydro_________ in contrast to the rest of the molecule which is

hydro_____________ .

Structure of phospholipids

The phospholipids molecule is made up of a ____________________ head and two

________________ tails.

Structure of phospholipid

Symbol :

Examples of phospholipids
Structure of lecithin

______________________

______________________

Structure of Lecithin
Refer handout

Phospholipids as component of cell membranes

In the phospholipid molecule, the hydrocarbon tails are __________________and

________________

whereas

the

phosphate

head

is

____________

and

__________________ .

The phospholipid molecule is said to be ________________ (it has both hydrophobic

and hydrophilic regions).

When placed in water, phospholipids molecules will

o

cluster together to form a ____________ (an oil droplet)

arrange themselves in two rows to form a ______________ .

A lipid bilayer arrangement minimizes the number of hydrophobic groups exposed to

water.

10

In the phospholipid bilayer, the hydrophilic heads face _______________ in contact with
water whereas the hydrophobic tails face _______________ away from water.

The bilayer is stabilized by _______________________ between the hydrocarbon

chains.

At the surface of a cell, the phospholipids bilayer forms a stable boundary between the
cell contents (cytoplasm) and the external environment (aqueous medium)

Hence, cell membranes are actually phopholipid bilayers.

Discussion Topics

Cells of poikilothermic animals usually have a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty

acids than homoeothermic. Can you account for this?

Tristearin and triolein are both lipids. Which is more likely to be an oil?

A camel stores fat in the hump primarily as a water source rather than as an energy
source.
(a)
(b)

By what metabolic process would water be made available from fat?

Carbohydrates could also be used as a water source in the same process. What
advantage does fat have over carbohydrate?

Draw the structure of lecithin and state its importance in cell membrane structure.

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Steroids

A steroid is a fat-like substance which is insoluble in water.

It is made up of carbon atoms arranged in four _________________ rings with various

______________ extending from the rings.

A -CH3 group is normally attached to position 18

and 19.

Various side chains arise from position 17.

Steroid nucleus / skeleton

Examples of steroids

1
2
3
4
5

Cholesterol

Most abundant steroid in humans.

Found only in animals, absent in plants

Structure of cholesterol

Functions of cholesterol

As a _____________ of other steroids.

Constituent of _______________ .

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Cholesterol and atherosclerosis

Cholesterol is insoluble in water.

It is carried in the blood in the form of

______________ (HDL and LDL)

The cholesterol level in the blood should not exceed ________ mmol / litre.

In the body, cholesterol is synthesized in the ______________ .

When a persons diet is rich in cholesterol and _______________ fats, blood

cholesterol levels become elevated.

Blood test results lipid profile

Excess cholesterol is deposited in the walls of arteries, forming ____________ .

This process is known as _____________________ .

As a result, arteries become ______________ and less blood can pass through
them.

Tissues ( e.g. the heart, the brain ) served by that artery will be deprived of
_________ .

If the plaque ruptures, a blood clot will be formed (thrombosis) causing

_______________ .

A complete blockage can cause a ______________ (blockage of cerebral arteries) or

a ________________ .
(Partial blockage of coronary arteries causes _____________ or chest pains which is
not fatal).

13

Regular exercise ____________________ and decreases LDL.

HDL transports

excess cholesterol to the liver to be removed, thereby reduces the risk of

atherosclerosis.

Abuse of steroids

Steroids are used by athletes, body-builders, weight-lifters to ______________

performance.

The type of steroids used are the _______________ steroids synthetic hormones
which mimic the effects of the male hormone testosterone (e.g. Dianabol)

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Effects of Anabolic Steroids

Increase in _________________ .

Increase in ______________________ .

More _______________ and _________________ .

Faster ________________ from training and competition.

Harmful Side Effects

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Glycolipids

Glycolipids are associations of lipids with _________________ .

The carbohydrate forms a ____________ head to the molecule.

Like phospholipids, glycolipids are found in _____________________ .

Waxes

Waxes are similar to __________________ , but contain fatty acids bonded to

________________ rather than to glycerol.

They are usually relatively hard solids at 20 C, providing _________________ and

____________________ on the surfaces of insects and leaves.

Fact of life
Worldwide, humans use 80 million tonnes of fats and oils every year, most of which are derived
from plants. In addition to being used in margarines, soaps, candles, putties, printing inks, and
varnishes, plant oils are also used as a fuel for vehicles. Biodiesel, oil derived from plants such as oil
palms and sunflowers, is commonly used in tropical areas that do not have their own fossil oils.

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