LOWER SIX PUSAT TUISYEN KASTURI PREPARED BY

BIOLOGY LESSON 3 T.K. LEONG

TOPIC: BASIC CHEMISTRY OF A CELL (3)

LIPIDS
 Lipids are sometimes classified loosely as those water-insoluble organic substances which
can be extracted from cells by organic solvents such as ether, chloroform and benzene.

 They cannot be defined precisely because their chemistry is so variable, however, true
lipids are formed by condensation reactions between fatty acids and an alcohol.

 The main groups of lipids are;

(a) Triglycerides ( Fats and Oils)
(b) Phospholipids
(c) Steroid

Triglycerides
1. Fats and oils are not polymers, they are large molecule, and they are assembled from
smaller molecules by condensation reaction.

2. A triglyceride is constructed from two kinds of smaller molecules; glycerol and fatty acids.

3. Glycerol is an alcohol with three carbons, each bearing a hydroxyl group (-OH).

4. A fatty acid has a long carbon skeleton, usually 16 or 18 carbon atoms in length. At one
end of the fatty acid is a carboxyl group (-COOH).

5. The non-polar C-H bonds in the hydrocarbon chains of fatty acids are the reason
triglycerides are hydrophobic.

6. Fatty acids vary in length and in the number and locations of double bonds. The terms
saturated fats and unsaturated fats are commonly used in the context of nutrition.

7. If there are no double bonds between carbon atoms composing the chain, such structure
is described as being saturated with Hydrogen, so the resulting fatty acid is called a
saturated fatty acid.

8. An unsaturated fatty acid has one or more double bonds, formed by the removal of
hydrogen atoms from the carbon skeleton. The fatty acid will have a kink in its tail
wherever a double bond occurs.

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 9. In making a triglyceride, three fatty acids each join to glycerol by an ester linkage, a bond
between a hydroxyl group and a carboxyl group.

Example: Saturated fatty acid. (Stearic Acid)

Example: Unsaturated fatty acid. (Oleic Acid)

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Phospholipids
1. A phospholipid molecule is formed from condensation of one glycerol molecule with two
hydrocarbons fatty acid chains (hydrophobic).

2. The third hydroxyl group of glycerol is linked with a phosphate group which carries a
negative charge. The phosphate group is polar and hydrophilic.

3. A good example of phospholipid is lecithin. Lecithin has a choline group which is positively
charged that attached to the phosphate group.

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 4. Phospholipids show ambivalent (amphipathic molecule) behaviour toward water. Their
tails, which consist of hydrocarbons, are hydrophobic and are excluded from water.
However, the phosphate group and its attachments form a hydrophilic head that has an
affinity for water.

5. When phospholipids are added to water, they self-assemble into aggregates that shield
their hydrophobic portions from water forming a cluster called micelle.

Steroids
1. Steroids are lipids characterised by a carbon skeleton consisting of four fused rings
(tetracyclic ring system).

2. Different steroids vary in the functional groups attached to this ensemble of rings.

3. An example of steroid is cholesterol. Cholesterol is the precursor of steroid hormones such

as testosterone and oestrogen.

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BIOLOGICAL FACTS

Saturated Fatty Acids Unsaturated Fatty Acids

Have only single bonds in the hydrocarbon chain. Have one or more pairs of carbon atoms joined by a
They have no double bond. double bond.
Triglycerides containing saturated fatty acids tend to Triglycerides containing unsaturated fatty acids tend
be solid at room temperature. to be liquid at room temperature.

Essential Fatty Acids Non-essential Fatty Acid

An essential fatty acid is one which has to be A non-essential fatty acid which can be synthesised
included in the diet because it cannot be made in in the body.
the body.

Proteins
1. The importance of proteins is implied by their name, which come from the Greek work
proteios, meaning “first place”.

2. Proteins account for more than 50% dry mass of most cells.

3. Proteins are used for structural support, enzymes, storage, transport of other substances,
signalling from one part of organism to another, movement, and defence against foreign
substances.

4. Proteins are the most structurally sophisticated molecules known. Consistent with their
diverse functions, they vary extensively in structure.

5. Each type of protein having a unique three dimensional shape or conformation.

6. They are all polymers constructed from the same set of 20 amino acids.

7. Polymer of amino acids is called polypeptides. A protein consists of one or more

polypeptides folded and coiled into specific conformations.

8. The potential variety of proteins is unlimited because the sequence of amino acid sine each
protein is specific for that protein and is genetically governed by the DNA.

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Amino acids
1. Amino acids are organic molecules possessing both carboxyl (carboxylic) and amino
groups. The figure below shows the general formula for an amino acid.

2. At the centre of the amino acid is an asymmetrical carbon atom called (α) carbon. Its four
different partners are an amino group, a carboxyl group, a hydrogen atom, and a variable
group symbolised by R.

3. The R group, also called the side chain, differs with the amino acid. It can as simple as a
hydrogen atom or it may be a carbon skeleton with various functional groups attached.

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Physical Properties
(a) Soluble in water and insoluble in non-polar organic solvent.
(b) Can be crystallised to form white crystalline compound
(c) High melting point
(d) They are amphoteric molecule

(e) In water, amino acids exhibit zwitterions, dipolar ions that having positive and
negative pole.
(f) Can act as a buffer to prevent fluctuation of pH.

Chemical Properties
 Deamination
This reaction is catalysed by the enzyme Deaminase.

 Transamination
This reaction is catalysed by the enzyme transaminase.
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  Production of dipeptide
2 amino acids can be bonded together by the present of a peptide bond.

Essay Question
Describe the structure of lecithin and its importance in the structure of
the cell membrane.

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