Lipids

Lipids: Fats

Lipids (from the Greek lípos "fat") is a collective term for natural substances that are completely or at least largely water-insoluble (hydrophobic). Lipids are generally water-insoluble due to their chemical composition with long hydrocarbon residues.

In living organisms, lipids are mainly used as structural components in cell membranes or as energy storage.

The term fat is often used as a synonym for lipids, but fats are only a subgroup of lipids (namely the group of triglycerides).

Lipids can be divided into seven groups: fatty acids, triacylglycerols (fats and oils), waxes, phospholipids, sphingolipids, lipopolysaccharides, and isoprenoids (steroids, carotenoids, etc.).