A lipid is a macromolecule and an organic compound such as fat or oil. Lipids are found in fatty foods and oils. For example, cooking oil and donuts.
Lipids where discovered by Berthelot M arround 1850. He discovered the them by synthesis of neutral lipids in combining glycerol with fatty acids
Organisms use lipids to store energy, but lipids have other important roles as well. such as storing energy and forming cell membranes. Lipids can also supply cells with energy. In fact, a gram of lipids supplies more than twice as much energy as a gram of carbohydrates or proteins.
Most food contains lipids. When we eat the food the lipidsgo into our body's and are sent to store energy as fat that we use when we're low on energy. The lipids also go into cells and into the cell membrane. Lipids are molecules that can be extracted from plants and animals using nonpolar solvents such as ether, chloroform and acetone. Fats (and the fatty acids from which they are made) belong to this group as do other steroids, phospholipids forming cell membrane components
Sources
http://www.news-medical.net/life-sciences/What-are-Lipids.aspx, http://www.ck12.org/biology/Lipids/, http://www.cyberlipid.org/history/history1.htm
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Created with images by silviarita - "meatballs minced meat coleslaw" • Mark Bonica - "mmm... donuts!"