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Introduction

The document discusses different types of lipids including saponifiable and nonsaponifiable lipids. Saponifiable lipids contain esters that can undergo saponification while nonsaponifiable lipids do not contain esters. Fatty acids are also discussed including their properties, micelle formation, characteristics like chain length and saturation, and essential fatty acids.

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Noreen Wajid
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36 views2 pages

Introduction

The document discusses different types of lipids including saponifiable and nonsaponifiable lipids. Saponifiable lipids contain esters that can undergo saponification while nonsaponifiable lipids do not contain esters. Fatty acids are also discussed including their properties, micelle formation, characteristics like chain length and saturation, and essential fatty acids.

Uploaded by

Noreen Wajid
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Saponifiable lipids — contain esters, which can undergo saponification (hydrolysis

under basic conditions) (waxes, triglycerides, phosphoglycerides, sphingolipid


Nonsaponifiable lipids — do not contain ester groups, and cannot be saponified (steroids,
prostaglandins)

• Saponifiable lipids can also be divided into groups: – Simple lipids — contain two types of components
(a fatty acid and an alcohol) – Complex lipids — contain more than two components (fatty acids, an
alcohol, and other components)

• Fatty acids are long-chain carboxylic acids:

RCOOH RCO2H

condensed ways of writing the carboxyl group

Properties of Fatty Acids

The long, nonpolar hydrocarbon tails of fatty acids are responsible for most of the fatty or oily
characteristics of lipids. • The carboxyl (COOH) group is hydrophilic under basic conditions, such as
physiological pH (7.4):

Fatty Acid Micelles • I

n aqueous solutions, fatty acids associate with each other in spherical clusters called micelles, in which
the hydrocarbon tails tangle each other up through dispersion forces, leaving a “shell” of polar
carboxylate ions facing outwards, in contact with the water. – Micelles are important in the transport of
insoluble lipids in the blood, and in the actions of soaps. 8 CO2 - CO2

Characteristics of Fatty Acids

• They are usually have straight chains (no branches) that are about 10 to 20 carbon atoms in length.

Shorter fatty acids usually have lower melting points than longer ones (stearic acid [18C] = 70ºC, palmitic
acid [16C] = 63ºC).

Saturated and Unsaturated Fatty Acids •

The cis-double bonds in unsaturated fatty acids put an inflexible “kink” in the carbon chain, preventing
the molecules from packing together as tightly as saturated fatty acids do. – For example, stearic acid
(saturated), oleic acid (one doublebond), and linoleic acid (two double bonds) all have 18 carbons in the
chain, but their melting points are drastically different:

Most of the fatty acids we need can be synthesized in the body. Two fatty acids, linoleic acid and
linolenic acid, both polyunsaturated fatty acids with 18-carbon chains, cannot be synthesized in the body
and must be obtained from the diet. These are essential fatty acids. Both are found in plant and fish oils.
In the body, they are used to produce hormonelike substances that regulate blood pressure, blood
clotting, blood lipid levels, the immune response, and inflammatory reactions.

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