What is the structure of triglycerides?

Triglycerides are tri-esters consisting of a glycerol bound to three fatty acid molecules. Alcohols have a hydroxyl (HO–) group. Organic acids have a carboxyl (–COOH) group. Alcohols and organic acids join to form esters.

What is the structure of a triglyceride how are they formed?

Chemical Composition A triglyceride is formed when the three hydroxyls (OH-) groups of a single glycerol molecule react with the carboxyl group (COOH-) of three fatty acids by forming ester bonds.

What are the 2 major structural components of a triglyceride?

Triglycerides are classified as simple lipids because they are formed from just two types of compounds: glycerol and fatty acids. In contrast, complex lipids contain at least one additional component, for example, a phosphate group (phospholipids) or a carbohydrate moiety (glycolipids).

How do you identify triglyceride?

Triglycerides are esters in which three molecules of one or more different fatty acids are linked to the alcohol glycerol; they are named according to the fatty acid components; e.g., tristearin contains three molecules of stearic acid, and oleodistearin, one of oleic acid and two of stearic acid.

What is the structure and function of a triglyceride?

Triglycerides consist of a glycerol “backbone” along with three fatty acids bonded to the backbone in an ester linkage. Glycerol is a three-carbon molecule, C(H2)OH-C(H)OH-C(H2)OH. When one of its hydroxyl groups (-OH) loses a hydrogen, a fatty acid can bind to the oxygen in its place, creating a C-O-C (ester) bond.

Can you identify the parts of a triglyceride molecule quizlet?

What are the components of a triglyceride? A molecule of glycerol and 3 fatty acids.

What differs in the structure of triglycerides and phospholipids?

The main difference between the structures of phospholipid and triglycerides is that a phospholipid molecule is composed of a glycerol backbone attached to two fatty acids and a phosphate group whereas triglyceride is composed of three fatty acid groups.

What is a characteristic of triglycerides?

Characteristics. Triglycerides are the most common lipid found in the body. They contain three chains of fatty acids. Although similar in structure to the phospholipids that build cell membranes, triglycerides are completely hydrophobic, meaning they cannot mix with water, so they cannot integrate into membranes.

Can you identify the parts of a triglyceride molecule?

How does the molecule shown differ from a triglyceride?

While triglycerides have glycerol and three fatty acids, phospholipids have glycerol, two fatty acids and a phosphate. However, phospholipids have a more rigid chemical structure than triglycerides do, so they make cell membranes tougher and help them to hold their shape better than triglycerides alone could.

How are triglycerides and phospholipids similar different?

Phospholipids are similar to triglycerides with one important difference. The phospholipid is similar to the triglyceride in that it contains fatty acid tails attached to a glycerol backbone. However, the phospholipid contains a organic phosphate zwiterion instead of a third fatty acid tail.