Lipids by Ella

Lipid: What about them?

Lipids are a group of naturally occurring molecules that include fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triglycerides and  phospholipids. The main functions of lipids include is energy, and acting as structural components of cell membranes. The term lipid is sometimes used as a synonym for fats and fats are a subgroup of lipids called triglycerides.

Fatty acids or fatty acid residues when they form part of a lipid, they are made of a hydrocarbon chain that terminates with a carboxylic acid group. The fatty acid structure they are very important categories in  biological lipids. The carbon chain, typically between four and 24 carbons long, may be saturated or unsaturated, they are “connect” to functional groups containing oxygen, halogens, nitrogen, and sulfur. If a fatty acid contains a double bond, there is the possibility of either a cis or trans, which significantly affects the molecule's configuration. Cis-double bonds cause the fatty acid bend and as an effect, they can be work with more double bonds. Three double bonds in 18-carbon is called linolenic acid and it is the most abundant fatty-acid.

 Here is an example of the structure of Saturated Acid and Unsaturated Acid