Page 6 - Lesson Notes - Biomolecules 1
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Simple Lipids
These are esters of fatty acids and various alcohol.
They are of further two types
(a) Neutral or True Fats These are esters of fatty acids with glycerol (glycerine). They
are also called glycerides.
Glycerol is a simple lipid which is known as trihydroxypropane as it is an alcohol with
a backbone of three carbon atoms, each carrying an —OH group.
When glycerol is esterified with fatty acid it is known as triglyceride.
The ester is called monoglyceride, diglycerlde and triglyceride depending on the
number of fatty acids attached to a glycerol.
ii- Compound or Conjugated Lipids
These are the esters of fatty acids and alcohol but contain other substances also,
e.g., Phospholipids, glycolipids, cutin, suberin etc.
Phospholipids are lipids which have phosphorus and phosphorylated organic
compound in them. One of the common example of phospholipid is lecithin.
