Lipid practical Flashcards
Lipids are…
Esters (acylglycerols)
Lipids are formed…
In condensation reactions between OH groups of glycerol and COOH groups of fatty acids
Fatty acids are…
Carboxylic acids with long chain hydrocarbon tails
Saturated
No double bonds
Unsaturated
One (monounsaturated) or more (polyunsaturated) double bonds in hydrocarbon tail.
Hydrophobic
Water insoluble
Non-polar
Higher animals + plants have…
Fatty acids which have 16 - 18 carbon long chain
Monopalmitin
Monoacylglycerol
= reaction between 1 of 3 alcohol groups on glycerol and one molecule of palmitic acid
Dipalmitin
Diacylglycerol
Tripalmitin
Triacylglycerol
Plant oils are usually…
Triacylglycerols, with a higher content of unsaturated fatty acids than animal fats => lower melting points
Animal fat melting point
Higher than plant fats
Animal fats have higher melting point because….
They are more dense (=saturated = more hydrogen) = longer to heat up
Olive oil content
Nearly pure triolein oleic acid Palmitic acid Stearic acid Linoleic acid Linolenic acid
Almond oil content
Oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid
Phospholipids
Amphipathic =
phosphate head - negatively charged + polar groups -> hydrophilic
Fatty acid tails -> hydrophobic
= lipid bilayer
Amphipathic
Both hydrophobic and hydrophilic parts
Glycerophospholipids structure
Glycerol + 2 fatty acids + phosphate (attached to alcohol group)
Glycerophospholipids examples
Phosphatidylcholine
Phosphatidylethanolamine
Phosphatidylserine
Sphingolipids
Sphingosine + 2 fatty acids + phosphate (attached to alcohol)
Phosphatidylcholine
Most abundant phospholipid in animals + plants
~50% of the total phospholipids bc it’s a key building block of membrane Bilayers
Phosphatidylserine
Distributed widely among animal, plants + microorganisms
Notable sources = myelin from Brain tissue + hen egg yolk
Cholesterol properties
Tetracyclic ring system
Amphipathic
Major component of eukaryotic cell membranes
Cholesterol functions
Maintains cell fluidity
Biological precursor to steroid hormones, bile salts, vitamin D