Question

What are lipids ? Give their types.

Answer 1

Lipids are organic molecules found in all living organisms. These are insoluble in water but soluble in ether and chloroform. Lipids are of three types, simple lipids, compound lipids and derived lipids.

(i) Simple lipids: These are esters of fatty acids with various alcohols attached. Examples include fat, waxes, suberin. Waxes are esters of long chain fatty acids with alcohols. Suberin is made up of glycerol and phenolic acid. It is found in the cork cells of plants.

(ii) Compound lipids: These are esters of fatty acids with various alcohols and some additional groups attached. For example, phospholipids, glycolipids. Phospholipids are the esters of fatty acids with glycerol or sphingosine. It contains esterified phosphoric acid.

(iii) Derived lipids: These are derivatives or hydrolyzed substances. For example, fatty acids, glycerol, Vitamin A, D, E. Fatty acids are monocarboxylic acids with long hydrocarbon chains.