Skip to main content
Back

Lipids definitions

Control buttons has been changed to "navigation" mode.
1/15
  • Lipid
    A hydrophobic biomolecule class, highly diverse in structure and function, that does not form polymers and includes fats, oils, phospholipids, steroids, and waxes.
  • Fatty Acid
    A hydrocarbon chain with a carboxylic acid group, serving as a building block for several lipid types and varying in saturation.
  • Saturated Fatty Acid
    A hydrocarbon chain fully loaded with hydrogens, containing only single bonds, typically solid at room temperature.
  • Unsaturated Fatty Acid
    A hydrocarbon chain with at least one double bond, causing a kink, and usually liquid at room temperature.
  • Trans Fatty Acid
    An artificial unsaturated fatty acid with a double bond but a straight chain, often found in processed foods and considered unhealthy.
  • Glycerol
    A three-carbon molecule that forms the backbone to which fatty acids attach in triglycerides and phospholipids.
  • Triglyceride
    A lipid formed by three fatty acids covalently linked to a glycerol molecule, serving as the main fat storage in animal cells.
  • Dehydration Synthesis
    A chemical reaction joining molecules by removing water, crucial for forming triglycerides from fatty acids and glycerol.
  • Phospholipid
    An amphipathic lipid with a phosphate group, a glycerol backbone, and two fatty acid tails, forming the main structure of cell membranes.
  • Amphipathic Molecule
    A molecule containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions, enabling unique interactions with water and lipids.
  • Steroid
    A lipid with a structure of four fused carbon rings, not built from fatty acids, and includes molecules like cholesterol.
  • Cholesterol
    A steroid molecule embedded in animal cell membranes, contributing to membrane structure and fluidity.
  • Wax
    A lipid composed of long-chain fatty acids and alcohols, providing protection and preventing water loss, as seen in beeswax.
  • Hydrophobic Tail
    A nonpolar region of a lipid molecule that repels water, commonly found in fatty acid chains of phospholipids.
  • Hydrophilic Head
    A polar region of a lipid molecule that interacts with water, typically the phosphate-containing part of a phospholipid.