Fatty acids with hydrocarbon chains containing at least one double bond are called unsaturated fatty acids because they have fewer hydrogen atoms. Fatty acids with hydrocarbon chains that contain only single bonds are called saturated fatty acids because they have the greatest number of hydrogen atoms possible and are, therefore, “saturated” with hydrogen. Because the long hydrocarbon chain, fatty acids are hydrophobic (“water fearing”) or nonpolar. The fatty acids are lipids that contain long-chain hydrocarbons terminated with a carboxylic acid functional group. Lipids comprise a broad class of many chemically distinct compounds, the most common of which are discussed in this section. They can be a source of nutrients, a storage form for carbon, energy-storage molecules, or structural components of membranes and hormones. Lipids serve numerous and diverse purposes in the structure and functions of organisms.
Compare and contrast triacylglycerides (triglycerides) and phospholipids.Describe the unique characteristics and diverse structures of lipids.Describe the chemical composition of lipids
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