Identify the components (1 to 6) contained in each of the following lipids (a to d):
1. glycerol
2. fatty acid
3. phosphate
4. amino alcohol
5. steroid nucleus
6. sphingosine
a. estrogen

Question

Identify the components (1 to 6) contained in each of the following lipids (a to d):

1. glycerol

2. fatty acid

3. phosphate

4. amino alcohol

5. steroid nucleus

6. sphingosine

a. estrogen

Accepted Answer

Hi, everybody. Let's look at our next question, identify if progesterone is a glycerol fatty acid steroid nucleus or sphingosine. So let's think about what each of these groups are like and compare that to the structure of progesterone. We don't need to remember the exact structure. But if you kind of have an overview in your head, kind of the most noticeable feature of progesterone like other hormones is that it has a four ring structure. And this is actually all that you need to remember about it because of our groups here, only a single one has any rings in its structure and that would be steroid nucleus. So every compound with a steroid nucleus consists of 17 carbon atoms in four rings. So there we go, that's the only one I can match just to be a little more thorough. Let's delve into this. So let's look at the actual structure of progesterone and it does indeed have four rings, three with six carbons and one with five. Uh on our first six carbon ring, there's a a ketone group and one double bond, there's a methyl group in between the two first two rings. The second set of rings is sort of up to the right of the first set, there's 16 carbon ring methyl group in between it's adjoining five carbon ring. And then the thing that makes it distinct from say testosterone is this has an aldehyde group at on that five carbon ring there. So again, four ring structure must be steroid nucleus. Why is that, let's think through our other molecules. So, Glycerol, very small. It's that three carbon chain with it's a trial, three alcohol groups used as a common backbone for things like phospholipids and fats, a fatty acid which is a carboxylic acid with an AC L chain attached to it. So a hydrocarbon chain and that chain can be either saturated or unsaturated. So either you know, one or more double bonds or no double bonds at all. And then finally, sphingosine, which is the most sort of more specific or uh specialized of these sphingosine like Glycerol is a backbone for lipids, but it's quite different. It's a long carbon chain with an amino, that's an amino alcohol. It has two alcohol groups and an amino group and that long carbon chain has one double bond in it. So it's a more specific thing than a fatty acid with this one amino group and two alcohol groups, which is how it's able to act as a backbone because you can have an extra linkage form with that alcohol group. You can have an amid linkage form with your amino group to add on these long chains similar to the way they're added on to Glycerol. But again, no rings. So we'll just put little bracket no rings. So again, as long as we remember that basic structure of progesterone, then that will help us remember that it is a steroid with that four ring structure. So progesterone, we have to choose from glycerol fatty acid steroid nucleus or singing it is indeed a steroid nucleus. See you in the next video.

Identify the components (1 to 6) contained in each of the following lipids (a to d):
1. glycerol
2. fatty acid
3. phosphate
4. amino alcohol
5. steroid nucleus
6. sphingosine
a. estrogen

Verified video answer for a similar problem:

Key Concepts

Lipids

Glycerol and Fatty Acids

Steroid Structure

Identify the components (1 to 6) contained in each of the following lipids (a to d):1. glycerol2. fatty acid3. phosphate4. amino alcohol5. steroid nucleus6. sphingosinea. estrogen

Verified video answer for a similar problem:

Key Concepts

Lipids

Glycerol and Fatty Acids

Steroid Structure

Identify the components (1 to 6) contained in each of the following lipids (a to d):
1. glycerol
2. fatty acid
3. phosphate
4. amino alcohol
5. steroid nucleus
6. sphingosine
a. estrogen