Question

Describe what a lipid is, from the chemical standpoint. What is it, structurally, that allows it to do what it does – and why? I’m asking for structural and electronic details.

Answer 1

Lipids are fat-like substances. They are found within the blood stream. Biomolecules (lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acid) are major structural and functional constituent of all variety of life.

Lipids are naturally occurring hydrophobic molecules commonly known as oils and fats. Lipids contribute to cell wall structure, provide stored fuel and also take part in many biological processes.

Lipids are classified on the basic of two classes: 1) structural complexity and 2) biological functions

On the basis of structural complexity, lipids are three types.

Simple lipids: simple lipids are esters of fatty acids with a variety of alcohols. Ex: fats, oils and waxes.

structure of simple lipid is given as:

Compound lipids: compound lipids are esters of fatty acids with alcohol and possess additional groups also.

Ex: phospholipids, glycolipids and other complex lipids.

Derived lipids: derived lipids are steroids, lipid-soluble vitamins and hormones.

On the basis of biological functions lipids are classified as:

Storage lipids: fats and oils are utilized commonly as stored forms of energy in living organisms.

Structural lipids: phopspholipids, glycolipids and cholesterols are the three structural components of biological membranes and they found in eukaryotes and bacteria.

Precursor lipids: precursor lipids are present in quite small amounts, and perform critical roles as enzyme cofactors, electron carriers, hormones and intracellular messengers.