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Discuss the various roles that lipids play in living organisms.
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Discuss the various roles that lipids play in living organisms. Lipids contain O, C and H, and they play very crucial roles within living organisms. Lipids are non-polar and have little or no affinity for water. It is made by joining 2 different types of molecules by esterification, a condensation reaction. Some of the important lipids are: 1. phospholipids 2. triglycerides 3. steroids such as cholesterol 4. complex lipids such as glycolipids and lipoproteins 5. sphingolipids 6. waxes Phospholipids consist of a phosphate head and a hydrocarbon tail. This results in the phosphate head being hydrophilic and the hydrocarbon tail being hydrophilic. This amphipathic nature of the phospholipid molecule is especially important in forming the phospholipid bilayer of the cell membrane. The hydrophilic regions face the exterior and interior off the cell whereas the hydrophobic hydrocarbon tails associate together to form the interior of the cell membrane. This cell membrane is impermeable to ions and charged molecules, no...
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