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Article: Lipids
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- Biology
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Lipids
Lipids are uniquely biological molecules, and they are synthesized and used by organisms in a variety of important ways. Unlike
proteins
,
polysaccharides
, and nucleic acids, lipids are much smaller, water-insoluble molecules. They are synthesized in association with a cellular
organelle
called the smooth
endoplasmic reticulum
. In a word, they are, as their etymology suggests, fats.
Several types of fats are made from fatty acids. Fatty acids are long, unbranched chains of
hydrocarbons
(typically made up of fourteen to twenty carbons) with a terminal
organic
acid group. In cartoon figures, fatty acids are often drawn as lollypops, consisting of long hydrocarbon "tails" ...