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Lipids

Lipids are a collection of very different molecules comprising water-insoluble nonpolar compounds of biological origin, including fats, fatty acids, phospholipids, waxes, sphingolipids, glycolipids, and the terpinoids, the most well-known of which is the steroid.

Though lipids have an end that does dissolve in water, the bulk of a lipid's structure is hydrophobic. The heads of lipids tend to be aqueous and the tails tend to be hydrophobic. This leads to a very unique behavior when dissolved in water; the tails cluster together while the heads point outward. This causes them to form a more or less hollow sphere that can enclose a separate aqueous compartment – the basis of cellular membranes. Because of these unique characteristics, lipids tend to self-organize.

Phospholipids have a glycerol core with two fatty acid tails and a phosphate head. These are probably the most important lipids, as they are the primary component of biological membranes. Though the other lipids are very important to life as we know it, without phospholipids it's entirely possible that cells could not have formed.

Web Resources On Lipids

Lipids: Fats, Oils, Waxes, etc.
Major Biological Roles of Lipids

Book Resources On Lipids

Lipid Biochemistry by Michael I. Gurr, et al
Biochemistry of Lipids, Lipoproteins and Membranes by D.E. Vance, J.E. Vance

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