Lipids

Lipids in general
Lipids are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents, like chloroform Lipids are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen Lipids have no generalized formula and much less oxygen compared to hydrogen Lipids have a high proportion of non-polar carbon-hydrogen bonds, making them hydrophobic Fat is a lipid in the solid state at 20oC Oil is a lipid in the liquid state at 20oC

Simple lipids
Simple lipids are esters( )of fatty acids with various alcohol

Fats are esters of fatty acids with glycerol. y y y Monoglyceride = 1 fatty acid molecule + 1 glycerol molecule Diglyceride = 2 fatty acid molecules + 1 glycerol molecule Triglyceride = 3 fatty acid molecules + 1 glycerol molecule

Waxes are esters of fatty acids with complex alcohols

Compound lipids
Compound lipids = lipid + non-lipid components y y y Phospholipids = lipid + phosphate Glycolipids = lipid + carbohydrate Steroids consists of a complex ring of carbon atoms

Structure of lipids
Lipids are composed of glycerol and fatty acids y Glycerol is an alcohol with three carbons, each bearing a hydroxyl group(-OH)

Done by Nickolas TeoJia Ming, CG 12/11

o Fatty acids consist of a hydrocarbon chain and a carboxyl group, with the general formula

RCOOH, where R is a hydrocarbon chain. o A hydrocarbon chain consists of a chain of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms  They vary in length, but a usually even numbered chains of 14 to 22 carbons in length o These hydrocarbon chains may be saturated or unsaturated, causing the fatty acid to be saturated or unsaturated  A saturated hydrocarbon chain does not contain any C=C and contains the maximum number of hydrogen atoms possible  This gives rise to saturated fatty acids and saturated fats  Fats that are more saturated (contain more saturated fatty acids) have a higher melting and boiling point, causing them to be more solid  All animal fats are saturated  An unsaturated hydrocarbon chain contains C=C, giving rise to kinks in the chain.

 If more than one C=C is present, it is polyunsaturated  This gives rise to unsaturated fatty acids and unsaturated fats  Fats that are unsaturated have a lower melting and boiling point, as the kinks prevents them from packing tightly with each other, hence causing them to be usually liquid at room temperature  Most plant fats are unsaturated

Synthesis of lipids
Lipids are formed from the condensation reaction between glycerol and fatty acid molecules. In the condensation reaction, each hydroxyl group (-OH) in the glycerol molecule reacts with the carboxyl group (-COOH) of the fatty acid, producing one water molecule and an ester bond ( ).

Done by Nickolas TeoJia Ming, CG 12/11

Condensation reaction = when two compounds are joined by the elimination of water molecule(s)

Phospholipids
Phospholipids form the core of all biological molecules, and are made up of threekinds of subunits: y y y Glycerol o Forms the backbone of the phospholipid molecule Fatty acids o Two fatty acids are attached Phosphate group

A charged phosphate group ( ) is attached to one end of the glycerol molecule, usually with a charged organic molecule attached to it

The simplest phospholipid is phosphatidic acid, consisting of a glycerol molecule, 2 fatty acid molecules and one phosphoric acid. Phospholipids are amphipathic, as they have a charged/ polar hydrophilic phosphate head with a noncharged/ non-polar hydrophobic fatty acids tails

Steroids
There are many important steroids like sex hormones and cholesterol Cholesterol is highly hydrophobic (not amphipathic), as it only has a single hydroxyl group (negligible compared to the rest of the carbon rings). It is also the mostabundant steroid in animals and is largely absent in plants

Functions of triglycerides
Function of triglycerides As an efficient storage molecule of energy Structure 1 triglyceride molecule consists of three fatty acids molecules attached to a glycerol molecule by ester bonds The triglyceride is large and uncharged, causing it to be insoluble in water Structure-function relationship Triglycerides can be stored in large amountswithout having any effect on the water potential of cells They also cannot diffuse out of the cells while insoluble

Hence making them the ideal storage molecule As compared to carbohydrates of similar mass, the ratio of energy storing C-H bonds in triglycerides is more than twice that of

Done by Nickolas TeoJia Ming, CG 12/11

carbohydrates Hence, as compared to the similar mass of carbohydrates, fat yields more chemical energy then carbohydrates Also, for the same amount of energy to be produced, less than half the mass of triglycerides are needed. For animals, this means less mass, allowing for quicker locomotion. For plants, seeds can be kept small and light, making dispersal easier For the same mass of carbohydrates, triglycerides contain twice the number of hydrogen atoms, which forms the metabolic water when oxidized in respiration Hence, triglycerides produce twice as much metabolic water as carbohydrates when oxidized in respiration This is important for dessert animals (like camels) who survive off metabolic water Triglycerides are less dense than Allows aquatic mammals to stay water buoyant in water Triglycerides are only oxidized after carbohydrates are depleted This is important for hibernating animals Triglycerides preventexcessive heat loss This is important for mammals living in cold climates and aquatic mammals Triglycerides surround the organs and serves to absorb shock

As an important source of metabolic water

Provide buoyancy As long-term energy store

As thermal insulator

Protecting delicate organs

Functions of lipids in cell membrane

Cholesterol, glycolipids and phospholipids are important components of the cell membrane y Cholesterol o Maintains fluidity of cell membranes, as it disturbs the close packing of phospholipids (like the kinks in the fatty acid), thus keeping them more fluid Glycolipids o The carbohydrate attached is used for cell recognition and celladhesion Phospholipids o Major constituent of cell membrane, as they form the bilipid layer of the cell membrane, forming a hydrophobic boundary between the aqueous interior and exterior of the cell o This is due to the amphipathic nature of the phospholipids, arising from the hydrophilic, charged phosphate head and the hydrophobic hydrocarbon tails o This result in them forming a bilayer in an aqueous environment, with the phosphate heads facing outwards, in contact with the aqueous environmenton either side.

y y

Done by Nickolas TeoJia Ming, CG 12/11

o o o

Whereas the hydrophobic tails are facing inwards and are buried between the hydrophobic heads Therefore, the hydrophobic region of the bilayer forms the boundary between the aqueous interior and exterior of the cell The hydrophilic region allowsthe hydrophobic boundary to exist in an aqueous environment

Miscellaneous functions
Cholesterol is used in the synthesis of steroid hormones and vitamin D3 Lipids are also components of myelin sheath nerve cells, where they act as electrical insulators, to allow rapid transmission of impulses along myelinated nerves

Done by Nickolas TeoJia Ming, CG 12/11