What Are the Functions of Triglyceride Phospholipid & Sterol?
Identification Phospholipids, triglycerides and sterols are all members of a family of organic molecules called lipids. They share similarities but have very different functions; their key defining characteristic they all share in common is they are hydrophobic, meaning they mix poorly with water. Phospholipids, unlike the others, are actually amphipathic, meaning that one region of the phospholipid molecule is hydrophilic (“water-loving”) and the other is hydrophobic (“water-fearing”). Types The functions of each molecule are closely related to its structure. Triglycerides, or fats, have three fatty acids linked to a molecule of glycerol; a fatty acid is a hydrocarbon chain with a central carbon “spine” bonded to hydrogens on either side. If all the carbons in the chain have only a single bond to their neighboring carbons, the molecule is a saturated fatty acid; if one or more of the carbons has a double bond with one of its neighbors, however, the fatty acid is unsaturated. Like trig
