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Properties and Classification of Lipids

Last updated

Jan 23, 2023
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- Lipids
- Fats and Oils

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Topic hierarchy

Fats and Oils
The triesters of fatty acids with glycerol compose the class of lipids known as fats and oils. These triglycerides are found in both plants and animals, and compose one of the major food groups of our diet. Triglycerides that are solid or semisolid at room temperature are classified as fats, and occur predominantly in animals. Those triglycerides that are liquid are called oils and originate chiefly in plants, although triglycerides from fish are also largely oils.
Fatty Acids
Fatty acid, some examples of which are given in the following table, together with the alcohol component of the lipid. These long-chain carboxylic acids are generally referred to by their common names, which in most cases reflect their sources. Natural fatty acids may be saturated or unsaturated, and as the following data indicate, the saturated acids have higher melting points than unsaturated acids of corresponding size.
Lipid Soluble Vitamins
Water soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C, are rapidly eliminated from the body and their dietary levels need to be relatively high. In contrast, lipid soluble vitamins are not as easily eliminated and may accumulate to toxic levels if consumed in large quantity.
Phospholipids
Phospholipids are the main constituents of cell membranes. They resemble the triglycerides in being ester or amide derivatives of glycerol or sphingosine with fatty acids and phosphoric acid. The phosphate moiety of the resulting phosphatidic acid is further esterified with ethanolamine, choline or serine in the phospholipid itself.
Prostaglandins Thromboxanes & Leukotrienes
Prostaglandins Thromboxanes & Leukotrienes are structurally related natural hormones that have an extraordinary range of biological effects. They can lower gastric secretions, stimulate uterine contractions, lower blood pressure, influence blood clotting and induce asthma-like allergic responses.
Soaps and Detergents
Soap is manufactured by the base-catalyzed hydrolysis (saponification) of animal fat. Before sodium hydroxide was commercially available, a boiling solution of potassium carbonate leached from wood ashes was used. Soft potassium soaps were then converted to the harder sodium soaps by washing with salt solution.
Steroids
Steroids are actually metabolic derivatives of terpenes, but they are customarily treated as a separate group. They may be recognized by their tetracyclic skeleton, consisting of three fused six-membered and one five-membered ring.
Terpenes
Compounds classified as terpenes constitute what is arguably the largest and most diverse class of natural products. A majority of these compounds are found only in plants, but some of the larger and more complex terpenes (e.g. squalene & lanosterol) occur in animals.
Waxes
Waxes are esters of fatty acids with long chain monohydric alcohols (one hydroxyl group). Natural waxes are often mixtures of such esters, and may also contain hydrocarbons.

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