LIPIDS colored oil in the cup of water shown here?

Even
if we stirred this for several minutes, or even
{Jul} I want you to think for a moment about your
several hours, the oil would still separate out from
very favourite food. What is it?
the water.
We all have different tastes in food, but food is a
{Zildjian}This is because lipids are hydrophobic.
source of large molecules that are necessary for
life, called biomolecules. Also referred to as {owen} From Latin, the prefix “hydro” means
macromolecules, these molecules include proteins, “water” and “phobic” means “fear of”. So when
lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. Different you hear that lipids are “hydrophobic”, this
food types may contain higher concentrations of basically mean that water and lipids do not mix.
these biomolecules; for example, peanut butter
{chloe} Let’s take a closer look at the category of
may be high in both proteins and lipids. And
lipids known as triglycerides. Triglycerides
while we'll mention examples of foods that
include the fats and oils. Fats (such as lard and
contain different biomolecules, this is not a
butter) are solid at room temperature and are used
presentation on nutrition – this is a lecture on the
by animals for insulation, protection and long-
classes of biomolecules and their importance to
term energy storage.
the structure and function of cells.
Oils (such as corn oil and olive oil) are liquid at
Because organisms are made up of these cells, this
also applies to the entire creature. A crucial room temperature and are used by plants for long-
vocabulary word needs to be discussed before term energy storage.
getting into the details of the four biomolecules.
{Jhonrick} At the molecular level, triglycerides
Monomer is the word. A monomer is a building
block; if I had a large material, the monomers contain two types of subunit molecules: glycerol
would be the parts that form that substance. With and fatty acids.
each biomolecule class, we will mention its
Let’s take a quick look at fatty acids. A fatty acid
monomer if it applies.
has three main parts: a chain of carbon and
{saizy} We'll start with the biomolecule class of hydrogen atoms called the “hydrocarbon chain,” a
Lipids. methyl group at one end, and an acid group at the
other end.
Lipids are a group of hydrophobic biomolecules
that play important roles in living organisms. Fatty acids can be either saturated or unsaturated.

While the primary function of lipids is long-term {jul} A fatty acid that has only single carbon to
energy storage, lipids are also used for protection, carbon bonds is known as a saturated fatty acid.
insulation, and lubrication. They also act as This is because the carbon chain is “saturated”
precursors for some hormones, and are a key with all the hydrogen atoms it can hold.
component of cell membranes.
There are four basic groups of lipids. These are
triglycerides, phospholipids, steroids, and waxes.
{Jhullius} Doc. Owen and Zildjian What is
Hydrophobic?
{Zildjian} Although the four groups of Lipids
differ in many respects, they all have one
Unsaturated fatty acids have one to several double
characteristic in common: They are all insoluble
bonds. Double bonds result in kinks in the fatty
in water.
acid chain which affects the melting point of the
{Owen}You may have noticed that lipids and [Link] fats have saturated fatty acids and are
water do not mix. For example, notice the yellow solid at room temperature while vegetable oils
have one or many double bonds and are liquid at This structure is the major component of plasma
room temperature. membranes of the cell.
{owen} A trans-fat is an example of an
unsaturated fatty acid where the hydrogen atoms
{chloe} Steroids are the next category of lipids.
are on opposite sides of the double-bond. Trans-
Steroids are composed of four fused rings of
fats are usually formed during the production of
carbon to which different functional groups are
processed foods and are also common in partially
attached.
hydrogenated oils.
One well-known steroid molecule is cholesterol.
In order to increase shelf life and melting point of
Cholesterol serves as a precursor for the synthesis
the fat, excess hydrogen atoms are introduced to a
of other steroids such as testosterone, estrogen,
unsaturated oil. This causes the formation of trans-
vitamin D, and cortisone.
fat bonds in the fatty acid chain.
{saizy} Cholesterol is present in plasma
{saizy} Unfortunately, the consumption of trans
membranes where it stabilizes the membrane.
fats has been associated with cardiovascular
disease and its use has fallen from favor. The hormones testosterone and estrogen have
small differences in their functional groups but
Now that you understand a little bit fatty acids,
large differences on their effects on an organism.
let’s zoom back out and look at how the
triglyceride subunits fit together.
{chloe} Remember, a fatty acid is only a small {owen} Waxes are the final group of lipids. Waxes
part of a triglyceride. To become a triglyceride, 3 are non-polar and repel water.
separate fatty acids have to bond with a glycerol
They are found in protective coatings on leaves
molecule through the process of dehydration
and on outer surfaces of animals.
synthesis.
Wax is produced in the ears of some animals to
protect the eardrum. In addition, bees construct
{zildjian} Let’s move on to the next category of honey combs from wax.
lipids, which is phospholipids. Phospholipids are
{julianna} Now that we’ve covered all four
similar to triglycerides in that they contain
categories of lipids, Let’s do a quick recap.
glycerol and two fatty acids.
The four categories of lipids are triglycerides,
What’s different is that a phosphate group rather
phospholipids, steroids and waxes. All lipids are
than a third fatty is attached to the third carbon of
insoluble in water.
glycerol.
While the primary function of lipids is long-term
{jhonrick} Phospholipids are extremely
energy storage, lipids are also used for a multitude
important, mainly because of their unique
of other purposes, such as protection and
properties in regard to water. The phosphate head
insulation, and as key component of hormones
of the molecule is hydrophilic (or water-loving).
and cell membranes.
This means that it mixes well with water. The fatty
acid tails, however, are hydrophobic (or water-
hating) and do not mix well with water.
{jhulius} Because of these unique properties,
phospholipids tend to arrange themselves so that
only the hydrophilic heads interact with a watery
environment, and the hydrophobic tails crowd
inward away from the water.