Lipids Lecture Vocabulary

Flashcards covering the vocabulary from the lecture notes about lipids.

Lipid

Large, nonpolar biological molecule.

Fatty acid

Long-chain carboxylic acids and the building blocks of lipids.

Saturated fats

Lipids containing only single bonds.

Unsaturated fats

Lipids containing one or more double bonds.

Triglycerides

Formed when three fatty acids are bonded to a glycerol backbone.

Saponification

The hydrolysis of a triglyceride using an aqueous solution of a strong base to form carboxylate salts and glycerol.

Phospholipids

Triglycerides in which one fatty acid is replaced by a polar phosphate group.

Waxes

Lipids formed by combining a fatty acid with a long-chain alcohol.

Steroids

Lipids that have multiple cyclic rings in their structures.