Lipids

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Publish Date: 2009

Volume: , Issue: , Pages: 158-247

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Abstract

Lipids are formed from structural units with a pronounced hydrophobicity This solubility characteristic rather than a common structural feature is unique for this class of compounds Lipids are soluble in organic solvents but not in water Water insolubility is the analytical property used as the basis for their facile separation from proteins and carbohydrates Some lipids are surfaceactive since they are amphiphilic molecules contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties Hence they are polar and thus distinctly different from neutral lipids The two approaches generally accepted for lipid classification are presented in Table 31 The majority of lipids are derivatives of fatty acids In these socalled acyl lipids the fatty acids are present as esters and in some minor lipid groups in amide form Table 31 The acyl residue influences strongly the hydrophobicity and the reactivity of the acyl lipids

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