Lipids Flashcards
What feature is common to all lipids?
Hydrophobicity
What are 4 functions of lipids?
Energy storage, membrane structure, enzyme function, signalling
What traits do the hydrocarbon portions of storage lipids have?
They’re really long and highly reduced
How is energy released from storage lipids?
Oxidation
What is a saturated fatty acid?
No carbon-carbon double bonds, completely saturated with hydrogen
What is an unsaturated fatty acid?
Contains carbon-carbon double bonds. Either just one (monounsaturated) or multiple (polyunsaturated)
How does the short hand notation for fatty acids work?
The first number is the number of carbons and the second number is the number of double bonds. If there’s double bonds, indicate where they are by a delta superscript position
How many carbons do fatty acid chains usually have?
An even number
What type of double bonds do fatty acids usually have?
Cis
How does chain length affect packing and melting point?
Longer chains have higher melting points and better packing
How do double bonds affect packing and melting point?
Unsaturated fatty acids have lower melting points and can’t pack as tight
Are saturated fatty acids solid or liquid at room temperature?
Solid
Are unsaturated fatty acids solid or liquid at room temperature?
Liquid
What are 3 reactions that lipids can undergo?
Hydrogenation, rancidifcation, esterification
What is hydrogenation?
Addition of H2 across a double bond to produce a single bond
