QQuestionBiochemistry
QuestionBiochemistry
Name a structural difference between triglycerides and phospholipids.
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Answer
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Step 1:
Triglycerides and phospholipids are both types of lipids, but they have a structural difference in the nature of the bonds between their constituent fatty acids and the glycerol backbone.
Step 2:
In a triglyceride molecule, there are three fatty acid chains bonded to a glycerol molecule through ester bonds. These ester bonds are formed by the condensation reaction between the carboxyl group of a fatty acid and one of the hydroxyl groups of glycerol. This results in a single bond between glycerol and each fatty acid, with all three bonds being of the same type.
Final Answer
The structural difference between triglycerides and phospholipids is that triglycerides have three ester bonds between glycerol and fatty acids, while phospholipids have two ester bonds between glycerol and fatty acids and one phosphoester bond between glycerol and a phosphate group.
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