Question
What are lipids? Classify them and give at least one example of each.

Answer

Lipids:
Lipids are a group of heterogeneous compounds like fats, oils, steroids, waxes, etc.
They are macro-biomolecules.
These are group of substances with greasy consistency with long hydrocarbon chain containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

Lipids are classified into:
1. Saturated fatty acids: They contain single chain of carbon atoms with single bonds.
E.g. Palmitic acid, stearic acid
2. Unsaturated fatty acids: They contain one or more double bonds between the carbon atoms of the hydrocarbon chain.
a. Simple lipids: These are esters of fatty acids with various alcohols.
E.g. Fats, wax.
b. Compound lipids: These are ester of fatty acids containing other groups like phosphate (Phospholipids), sugar (glycolipids), etc.
E.g. Lecithin
c. Sterols: They are derived lipids. They are composed of fused hydrocarbon rings (steroid nucleus) and a long hydrocarbon side chain.
E.g. Cholesterol, phytosterols.

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