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Article: Lipids
- Article from:
- Chemistry: Foundations and Applications
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 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 a class of biomolecules that is defined by their solubility in organic solvents, such as chloroform, and their relative insolubility in water. Interactions among lipids and of lipids with other biomolecules arise largely from their
hydrophobic
("water-hating") nature. Lipids can be divided into two main categories according to their structures: those that are based on fatty acids, and those that are based on
isoprene
, a branched, five-carbon chain.
Fatty Acid
–
Based Lipids
Fatty acids are unbranched carboxylic acids, usually containing an even number of carbon atoms (between 12 and 24, inclusive). If there are no double bonds between carbon atoms, the ...