Lipids

 are fatty compounds made up of carbon-

containing compounds that are hydrophobic
insoluble in water, but are soluble in organic
solvent such as benzene, ether, and chloroform.
 lipids
have fewer oxygen atoms relative to the
number of carbon and hydrogen atoms.
 can be used to store energy.
 someare used as chemical messengers such as
hormones
Ex. triglycerides, waxes, steroids, and phospholipids
 Lipids
Triglycerides- is a lipid in which atoms are arranged
in
two kinds of subunits.
***glycerol and fatty acid
Glycerol-is a carbon skeleton that has three alcohol
groups attached to it.
-the chemical formula is C 3 H 5 (OH) 3
Fatty acid- is a long-chain carbon skeleton that has
a carbonyl acid functional group.
 Triglyceride
2 main types
Fats and oils
Fats- are triglyceride found in animals and usually
solid at room temperature.
**ANIMALS FATS: butter and bacon fat—
saturated fats ** triglyceride found in plants
are oils, usually found in seeds
Vegetable oils- such as soybean, corn, and
coconut—
unsaturated fats- liquid at room temperature
Lipids/Fats
 Basic units: fatty acids
 Functions: provides energy &
structure, cushions the body, and
prevents heat loss
 Found in butter, margarine, candy
 made of fatty acid molecules that
consist two distinct regions:
a long hydrophobic hydrocarbon
chain
a hydrophilic head
Saturated Fats
 contain single carbon-to-carbon bonds
 has lots of hydrogen
 solid
at room temperature (beef, pork, chicken,
dairy)
 found in animal products
 Reduce Intake!  can clog blood vessels
Unsaturated Fats
 contain
double or triple carbon-to-carbon bonds &
fewer hydrogen atoms
 Liquid at room temperature (oils, nuts, & seeds)
 found in plant products
 Better Intake!
 Lipids
Phospholipids- are lipids that contain phosphate
group, are abundant in the membrane of the cell.
Without these, cell contents like organelles would
not separate from the outside environment.
--are formed from glycerol and fatty acids
and a phosphate group and nitrogen containing
alcohol.
--fatty acid region of phospholipid is
insoluble in water
 Lipids
Lecithin- are phospholipids found in cell
membranes
- has a water-loving ionic
head(hydrophilic) and an oily or water-hating
hydrocarbon tail (hydrophobic)
 Lipids
 area heterogeneous group of compounds related,
either actually or potentially, to the fatty acids.
They are water insoluble organic molecules that
can be extracted from cells and tissues by non-
polar solvents. Lipids are derivatives of fatty
acids, and their naturally existing compounds.
Biologically, lipids have a wide range of uses such
as source of fuel, protective coat and component
of membranes of every living cell. Lipids are
classified as;
Simple lipids which are esters of fatty
acids with various alcohol and include:
1. Neutral fats – ester of fatty acids with
glycerol
- liquid fats are known as oil
2. Waxes – ester of fatty acids with higher
molecular weight non-hydric alcohol
Complex lipids are esters of fatty acids
containing other groups in addition to an
alcohol and a fatty acid such as:
1. phospholipids – containing a phosphoric acid
residue and frequently have nitrogen-containing
bases and other compounds like:
 a. Glycerophospholipid (alcohol is glycerol)
 b. sphingophospholipid (alcohol is sphingisine)
2. Glycolipods (glycosphingolipids) – contains
fatty acid, sphingosine, and
carbohydrates
3. Other complex lipids – includes sulfolipids and
aminolipids
Precursor and Derived lipids:
 product of hydrolysis of simple and complex
lipids but still exhibiting the general
physical characteristics of lipids
 these include fatty acids, glycerol, steroids,
alcohols (in addition to glycerol and
sterols), fatty aldehydes and ketone bodies,
hydrocarbons, lipid-soluble vitamins, and
hormones
 glycerides, cholesterol, and cholesterol
esters are called neutral fats because they
are without charge.
Lipids can be found from the following
sources:
 True fats generally constitute the storage material
for energy in both plants and animals.
 fat depot of the animal body which is made up of
excess fats derived from ingested food.
 found in the subcutaneous and intra molecular
connective tissues (omentum) which serves
as heat insulator and reserves supply for energy.
 compound lipids such as cerebrosides are
constituents of highly specialized brain and
nervous tissues.
 phospholipids and sterols are intimately related
with bile acids, vitamin D and sex hormones.
The following are some common lipids:
Fatty acids
 Most abundant naturally occurring lipids.
 building blocks of several classes of lipids like the
neutral fats, phosphoglycerides, glycolipids,
cholesterol esters, and waxes
 possessed long hydrocarbon chain and a terminal
carboxyl group
 chain may be saturated (without double bonds)
or unsaturated (with 1or more double bonds)
 with few exceptions, they have an even number
of carbon atoms.
There are two types of fatty acids:
1. Saturated Fatty Acids:
 belong to the acetic series and have the general
formula CnH2nO2.
 IUPAC name end in IC + acids.
 have only single bond only their structure.
 with low molecular weight.
 Liquid at ordinary temperature.
 With low melting point and are volatile. Their
melting point increases with increasing molecular
weight.
 characteristic of animal fats.
The following are examples of saturated
fatty acids.
 Butyric Acid, Caproic Acid, Capric Acid,
Lauric Acid, Palmitic Acid, Stearic acid,
Arachidic acid, Lignoceric acid
2. Unsaturated fatty acids:
 unstable and reactive due to the presence
of double bonds.
 IUPAC name ends in EIC + acid.
 reactivity increases with increasing double
bonds.
 liquid at ordinary temperature and are non-
volatile.
 the greater the degree of unsaturation, the
lower are their melting.
 characteristic of vegetable fats.
The following are examples of unsaturated fatty
acids:
 Myristoleic acid, Palmitoleic acid, Oleic acid,
Linoleic acid , Linolenic acid
 plasmatic acid makes about 50% of total fatty
acids in fats.
 Oleic acid is the most abundant fatty acid in
nature forming about 50% of the total fatty acids
in many fats and is found in all naturally
existing fats.
Neutral fats
1. Triglycerides – ester of glycerol and fatty acid
When R, R1 and R2 are the same, the compound is a
simple triglyceride.
Natural fats possess mixed glycerides; thus, if R is oleic
acid, R1 is stearic acid, and R2 is palmitic acid, the
glyceride is called alphaoleyl, beta stearyl, alpha’ –
palmitin
Glycerides of saturated fatty acids have higher melting
points than glycerides of unsaturated fatty acids,
thus vegetable fats, olive oil, castor sees oil contain
more unsaturated fatty acids than animal fats such as
lard and tallow
Ester groups are readily broken down by alkali through a
process called saponification, a commercial method
for the production of glycerol and soap.
2. Waxes
neutral fats that are ester of fatty acids
and high molecular weight of
alcohols, the most important of which is
cholesterol.
alcohols range in length from 14-34
carbon atoms

Example: sperm oil, bees wax, lanolin

Complex lipids
1. Phosphoglycerides
sometimes called phospholipids
esters formed by the union of different alcohols with
phosphatidic acid in which the alpha and beta
positions are esterified with fatty acids and the alpha
position with phosphoric acid
fatty acid in alpha’ position is usually a long chain
saturated fatty
acid, such as palmitic or stearic; fatty acid in beta
position usually
unsaturated such as oleic, linoleic, or arachidonic
acid.
phospholipids of physiological importance are:
a. phosphatidyl cholines (lecithins)
 present in eggyolk, liver and nervous tissues.
 soluble in all fat solvents except acetone
 white, waxy substances that form emulsions
 soybeans lecithin used as emulsifying agent in
food industry.
 Enzyme lecithinase found in cobra venom and
poisonous spiders’ hydrolysis lecithin producing
lysolecithin which has
hemolyzing effect upon TBC thus poisonous effects
of venom of cobra and insects.
[Link] ethanolamines and
phosphatidyl serines
(Collectively referred to as cephalins)
 Found in all tissues and cells but
particularly abundant in brain and other
nerve tissues
 property very much similar to the lecithins.
 A thromboplastic substance which initiates
blood clotting.
 c. phosphatidyl inositols (lipositol)
 occur in all cells and tissues
 2. Sphingolipids (glycolipids)
 formed by some fatty acids called ceramides
and sphingosine
 generally, structure of sphingolipids indicated
below where ceramides are in either
linkage to different compounds
a. sphingomyelins – found in all tissues but very
abundant in brain and nervous tissues
b. cerebrosides – found in membranes of brain
tissues, particularly in the white tissue
c. gangliosides - usually found on the surface of
cell membranes, especially of nerve cells
3. Prostaglandins
 family of compounds comprising 14 fatty
acids each containing 20 carbon atoms and
having the same basic skeleton prostanoic
acid
 involved in a number of biochemical
interactions like regulation of blood supply,
development of inflammatory response,
regulation of ions influx across
epithelial membrane, etc.
4. Steroids
 found in association with fats and separated from the
fats after saponification in the “unsaponifiable residue”
 all possess similar cyclic nucleus resembling
phenanthrene (rings A, B, and C) to which a cyclopentane
ring attached

 a. cholesterol
 widely distributed in all cells particularly in the nervous
tissue
 major component of the plasma membrane
 also found underneath the skin and serves as the
precursor of vitamin D synthesis.
c. coprosterol
 occurs in faces as a result of the
reduction of the double bonds of
cholesterol by bacteria in the intestine
d. bile salts
 constituent of bile
 strong emulsifying agent that helps
disperse fatty materials
 stimulate intestinal motility
e. steroidal hormones
 sex hormones; testosterone,
estrogen, progesterone
 ACTH
GENERAL PROPERTIES OF FATS

B. Physical properties:
1. Greasy.
2. Penetrate some materials like paper producing a translucent
effect.
3. Neutral fats when pure are odorless, tasteless, and colorless.
4. Insoluble in ordinary in solvent but soluble in organic solvent.
5. Non – volatile.
6. Produce characteristic crystals with definite melting point.
7. maybe solid or liquid (oil) at ordinary temperature.
8. Floats on water because of its low specific gravity. When
shaken with water, fast break into fine particles forming a
temporary emulsion.
C. Chemical Properties:
 1. Hydrolysis – readily broken down by
acids, enzymes or stream liberating fatty
acids and alcohol.
 2. Saponification – formation of
metallic salt of fatty acid (soap) when
heated with alkali.
 3. Rancidity – become rancid or
acidic when expose to air. This is due to
hydrolysis resulting in the liberation of
volatile fatty acids, which are then
oxidized forming odoriferous volatile
4. Identification – by the use of certain
chemical constants such as:
 a. Iodine number – number of grams of
iodine taken up by 100 g. of
fat. It is the measure of the degree of
unsaturation of a given fat/mole.
 [Link] number – number of
milligrams of an alkali required in
neutralize the fatty acids contain in 1
gram of fats. It is the measure of fatty
acids in a given fats/mole.

c. Acetyl number – number of
milligrams of KOH necessary to neutralize
the acetic acid liberated from the
hydrolysis of 1 g. of acetylated fat.
Measure the number of hydroxyl group
present in a given fat/mole
d. Reichert-Meiss1 number – amount
of 0.1 N of an alkali required to
neutralize the volatile fatty acids distilled
from 5 g. of fat. Use in the detection of
butter substances.
FUNCTIONS
Lipids Functions are:
1. membrane structural components
2. intracellular storage debuts of metabolic fuels.
3. transport form of metabolic fuel
4. protective form of cell walls of many bacteria, of leaves of
higher plants, of the exoskeleton of insects, and the skin of
vertebrates
5. regulatory substances
6. transport forms of some neurotransmitters
7. receptors in nerve ending membranes
8. determinants of immunological specificity
9. enzymes factors