Lipid (source code)
= Lipid
{wiki}
<Lipids> are a chemically diverse family of <chemical substances>, conventionally associated with biological origin and solubility in <nonpolar> <solvents>. They include <triglycerides>, <phospholipids>, and <cholesterol>. The name does not specify one <molecular formula>, one repeating <monomer>, or one kind of <polymer>. Some <lipids> have both <hydrophilic> and <hydrophobic> regions rather than being uniformly <nonpolar>. See https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/L03571[IUPAC Gold Book: lipids].
Structure explains the different jobs. A <triglyceride> has three <fatty acid>-derived <acyl groups> attached to <glycerol> and serves as an <energy> store. A typical <glycerophospholipid> instead combines two such chains with a <phosphate>-containing head, making it an <amphiphile> suited to a <lipid bilayer>. <Cholesterol> has a different structure and also contributes to <cell membrane> properties. Thus a <lipid> is a chemical building material, while a <lipid bilayer> is an organization of many <molecules>. See https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/3-3-lipids[Clark, Douglas and Choi, Biology 2e, 3.3: lipid structures and functions].
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