Heterocyclic Organic Chemistry

CHEM 341
Credit hrs.: (2+0)

King Saud University

College of Science, Chemistry Department

CHAPTER 7: Lipids 1
Lipids
o Lipids are biological molecules that are insoluble in water but soluble in nonpolar
solvents (nonpolar).
o The word lipid comes from the Greek lipos, which means “fat.”

o Lipids are the waxy, greasy, or oily compounds found in plants and animals.
- wax coating that protects plants - used as energy storage - structural components
- insulation against cold (cell membranes)

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 Classification of Lipids
Lipids are divided into:
Saponifiable (Hydrolyzable) lipids Nonsaponifiable (Nonhydrolyzable) lipids
- They contain esters, - They do not contain ester groups,
- They can undergo saponification - They cannot be saponified
(hydrolysis under basic conditions) (cannot be cleaved into smaller
molecules by aqueous hydrolysis)

Simple lipids Complex lipids

contain two components contain more than two components
(fatty acid and an alcohol) (fatty acids, an alcohol, and other components)

Triglycerides Waxes phosphoglycerides Sphingolipids. steroids prostaglandins

(Fats & oils) 3
Fatty Acids

o Fatty acids are long-chain unbranched carbon attached to a carboxyl group (-

COOH).

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Fatty Acids
Characteristics of Fatty Acids:
 They are usually have straight chains (no branches) that are about 10 to 20 carbon
atoms in length.
 They usually have an even number of carbon atoms (counting the carboxyl carbon).
 The carbon chains may be;
• saturated (all single bonds) or
• unsaturated (containing double bonds).
 i.e. Functional groups are only the carboxyl group and the double bonds.
 The double bonds are usually in cis configurations:

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Fatty Acids
Saturated and Unsaturated Fatty Acids
o Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds in their long hydrocarbon chains.
Stearic acid: CH3(CH2)16COOH
Stearic Acid
(m.p. 71ºC)

They are solids at room temperature. Stearic acid is found in palm oil, which
is frequently used in handmade soap.

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Fatty Acids
Saturated and Unsaturated Fatty Acids
o Unsaturated fatty acids have 1 or more double bonds (generally cis) in their
long hydrocarbon chains. Oleic Acid
(m.p. 13ºC)
 Oleic acid (one double bond), and
 Linoleic acid (two double bonds)
 All have 18 carbons in the chain, but
their melting points are different

o Oleic acid is derived mainly from “olive” oil. sesame Linoleic Acid
(m.p. -5ºC)
oil, Sunflower, shea butter, coconut oil, ... etc.

o Linoleic acid is found in soybean oil

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Fatty Acids
Essential Fatty Acids
o Most of the fatty acids we need can be synthesized in the body.
o Two fatty acids, linoleic acid and linolenic acid, both polyunsaturated fatty acids with 18-
carbon chains, cannot be synthesized in the body and must be obtained from the diet.
o These are essential fatty acids.
o Both are found in plant and fish oils.
o In the body, they are used to produce hormone-like substances that regulate blood pressure,
blood clotting, blood lipid levels, the immune response, and inflammatory reactions.

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Fatty Acids
Essential Fatty Acids
o All fatty acids that bear the “omega” label are unsaturated, containing one or
more double bonds.
Omega-n acids n: the position of the first double bond

Linoleic acid is called an omega-6 acid, because of the position of the first C=C
in the nonpolar chain.

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Fatty Acids
Essential Fatty Acids
Linolenic acid is called an omega-3 acid, because of the position of the first C=C
in the nonpolar chain.

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Fatty Acids
Some Important Fatty Acids

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Triglycerides Simple lipids
o Animal fats and vegetable oils are esters composed of three molecules of a fatty acid
connected to a glycerol molecule, producing a structure called a triglyceride or a
triacylglycerol:

Esterification
O
O
CH2 OH HO C (CH2)14CH3
CH2 O C (CH2)14CH3
O O
CH OH HO C (CH2)14CH3 CH O C (CH2)14CH3 + 3H2O
O Acid

CH2 OH HO C (CH2)14CH3 O
CH2 O C (CH2)14CH3 12
Triglycerides Simple lipids

o Simple triacylglycerols have three identical fatty acid side chains.

o Mixed triacylglycerols have two or three different fatty acids.

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Fats & oils Simple lipids
o The fatty acids in a triglyceride molecule are usually not all the same;
o Natural triglycerides are often mixtures of different triglyceride molecules.

Fats are Oils are

 triglycerides that are solids at room temp.  triglycerides that are liquids at room temp.
 usually derived from animals  usually derived from plants or fish
 mostly saturated fatty acids  mostly unsaturated fatty acids
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Fats & oils Simple lipids

A comparison of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in some foods.

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Fats & oils Simple lipids
Chemical Properties of Fats and Oils
Hydrolysis of Triglycerides
Triglycerides can be broken apart with water and an acid catalyst (hydrolysis),
or by digestive enzymes called lipases:

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Fats & oils Simple lipids
Chemical Properties of Fats and Oils
Saponification of Triglycerides (Basic Hydrolysis)
Triglycerides react with strong bases (NaOH or KOH) to form the carboxylate
salts of the fatty acids, called soaps:

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Fats & oils Simple lipids
Chemical Properties of Fats and Oils
Soaps
o NaOH produces a “hard” soap, commonly found in bar soaps;
o KOH produces a “soft” soap, such as those in shaving creams and liquid soaps.
o These salts combine two solubility characteristics:
 a long, nonpolar, water-insoluble (hydrophobic) hydrocarbon “tail.”
 a charged, water-soluble (hydrophilic) “head.”

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Fats & oils Simple lipids
Chemical Properties of Fats and Oils
Soaps
In water, the “tails” become tangled, leaving the charged heads sticking out into
the solution, forming a structure called a micelle.

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Fats & oils Simple lipids
Chemical Properties of Fats and Oils
Hydrogenation
o Alkenes are converted into alkanes with hydrogen gas (H2) and a catalyst (Pt,
Ni, or some other metal).
o This process is used to convert unsaturated vegetable oils, which are liquids at
room temp., to saturated fats, which are solids at room temp.

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Waxes Simple lipids
Waxes are simple lipids contain a fatty acid joined to a long-chain (12-32 carbons)
alcohol:

Because of their long nonpolar C chains, waxes are very hydrophobic.

O
Beeswax CH3(CH2)14 C O(CH2)29CH3
(myricyl palmitate)
hydrophobic hydrophobic
region region
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Waxes Simple lipids
 Waxes are insoluble in water, and not as easily hydrolyzed as fats and oils.
 Waxes often occur in nature as protective coatings on feathers, fur, skin,
leaves, and fruits.
 Waxes are used commercially to make cosmetics, candles, ointments, and
protective polishes.
Beeswax

Lanolin from wool

lotions

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Phospholipids Complex lipids
o Phospholipids are lipids that contain a P atom.
o There are two common types:
Phosphoglycerol Sphingolipids
Sphingolipids are complex lipids that
contain sphingosine instead of glycerol.

sphingolipds

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Phospholipids Complex lipids
Phosphoglycerols
o Phosphoglycerols are complex lipids that are major components of cell
membranes.
o Structurally, they resemble a triacylglycerol, except the third fatty acid has
been replaced with a phosphodiester bonded to an alcohol.

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Phospholipids Complex lipids
Phosphoglycerols
o There are two types of phosphoglycerols;

Choline
Ethanolamine

- Cephalins are found in most cell membranes, Lecithin can act as an emulsifying agent:
- They are particularly abundant in brain tissue. - important structural component of cell membranes.
- play a role in the transport of lipids in the blood stream.
- They are also found in blood platelets, and - Commercially, lecithin extracted from soybeans is used
play a role in blood clotting. as an emulsifying agent in margarine and candies to
provide a smooth texture. 25
Phospholipids Complex lipids
Sphingomyelins
They do not contain a glycerol backbone, they have a sphingosine backbone instead.

They do not contain an ester; their single fatty acid is bonded to the backbone by an amide bond.

Sphingomyelins are found brain and nerve tissue, and in the myelin sheath that protects nerves.
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Phospholipids Complex lipids
Glycolipids
o Glycolipids are sphingolipids that contain carbohydrates (usually
monosaccharides).
o They are also referred to as cerebrosides because of their abundance in brain
tissue.

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Cell Membrane
Fluid mosaic model
Carbohydrate

Phospholipid
bilayer

Nonpolar
Hydrophobic

Polar
Hydrophilic

The cell membrane as being composed of a lipid bilayer, in which the nonpolar tails of lipids point
towards the “interior” of the bilayer, leaving the polar, hydrophilic portions pointing outwards.

Semipermeable: selected nutrients can enter and waste products can leave. 28
 Nonsaponifiable (Nonhydrolyzable)
Steroids lipids
o Steroids are classified as lipids because they are soluble in nonpolar solvents.
o They are nonsaponifiable because the components are not held together by
ester linkages.
o The basic steroid structure contains four fused rings:

o Steroids have

nucleus which is 4 carbon rings.

attached groups that make the different types of compounds.
no fatty acids. 29
 Nonsaponifiable (Nonhydrolyzable)
Steroids lipids
Cholesterol
o Cholesterol is the most abundant steroid in the body.
o It is an essential component of cell membranes, and
is a precursor for other steroids, such as the bile salts,
sex hormones, vitamin D, and the adrenocorticoid
hormones.
o There is apparently a correlation between high levels
of cholesterol in the blood and atherosclerosis.
Cholesterol is obtained from meats, milk, and eggs.
Cholesterol is synthesized in the liver from fats, carbohydrates and proteins.
No cholesterol in vegetable and plants.
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 Nonsaponifiable (Nonhydrolyzable)
Steroids lipids
Bile Salts
o Bile is a yellowish brown or green fluid produced in the liver and stored in the
gall bladder.
o Bile salts act like soaps and other emulsifiers: they contain both polar and
nonpolar regions, helping to break fats in foods into smaller pieces, allowing
them to be hydrolyzed more easily.

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 Nonsaponifiable (Nonhydrolyzable)
Steroids lipids
Steroid Hormones
o A hormone is a molecule that is synthesized in one part of an organism, which
then elicits a response at a different site.

o Two types of steroids hormones:

1. Sex hormones
Estrogens & progestins in females
Androgens in males

2. Adrenal Cortical Steroids

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 Nonsaponifiable (Nonhydrolyzable)
Steroids lipids
Steroid Hormones
Female Sex Hormones

Estrogens Progestins
The estrogens estradiol and estrone control The progestin progesterone is called the “pregnancy
development of secondary sex characteristics, regulate hormone”; it is responsible for the preparation of the
the menstrual cycle, and are made in the ovaries. uterus for implantation of a fertilized egg.

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 Nonsaponifiable (Nonhydrolyzable)
Steroids lipids
Steroid Hormones
Male Sex Hormones
Androgens
Testosterone and Androsterone are androgens made in the testes.
They control the development of secondary sex characteristics in males.

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 Nonsaponifiable (Nonhydrolyzable)
Steroids lipids
Steroid Hormones
Adrenocorticoid Hormones
o The adrenocorticoid hormones are produced in the adrenal glands (located
on the top of the kidney).
o Glucocorticoids such as cortisol affect the metabolism of carbohydrates.
o Cortisol and its derivatives, cortisone and prednisolone (synthetic) are
powerful anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat arthritis and asthma.

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 Nonsaponifiable (Nonhydrolyzable)
Steroids lipids
Steroid Hormones
Adrenocorticoid Hormones
Mineralocorticoids regulate ion concentration (mainly Na+).
Aldosterone influences the absorption of Na+ and Cl- in kidney tubules, thus
regulating the retention of water in the body.

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 Nonsaponifiable (Nonhydrolyzable)
Prostaglandins lipids
Prostaglandins are carboxylic acids that contain a five-membered ring and have
a wide range of biological activities.

o Prostaglandins are responsible for inflammation.

o Prostaglandins also decrease gastric secretions, inhibit blood platelet aggregation,
stimulate uterine contractions, and relax smooth muscles.
o Aspirin and ibuprofen relieve pain and inflammation by blocking the synthesis of these
molecules. 37
Vitamins
o They are organic compounds required in small quantities for normal metabolism.

o They must be obtained from the diet (our cells cannot synthesize them).

o Vitamins are either water soluble or fat soluble.

o The four fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) are lipids and nonpolar.

o They are found in fruits, vegetables, fish, liver, and dairy products.

o Excess vitamins are stored in adipose cells to be used when needed.

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Vitamin A
Vitamins

o It is found in liver, fish, and dairy products, and is made from β-carotene (the
orange pigment in carrots).

o It is needed for vision and for healthy mucous membranes.

o Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness and dry eyes and skin.

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Vitamin D
Vitamins
o Vitamin D can be synthesized from cholesterol.

o It can be obtained in the diet from many foods, especially milk, and helps
regulate Ca and P metabolism.

o A deficiency of vitamin D causes rickets (bone malformation).

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Vitamin E
Vitamins

o Vitamin E is an antioxidant, protecting unsaturated side chains in fatty acids

from unwanted oxidation.
o Deficiency of vitamin E causes numerous neurological problems, although it is
rare.

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Vitamin K
Vitamins

o Vitamin K regulates the synthesis of clotting proteins (prothrombin), and

deficiency of this leads to excessive or fatal bleeding.

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