Physical Properties of Fatty acids Energy Storage Lipids (TAG)
 The physical properties of fatty acids, and of lipids that
contain them, are largely determined by the length and
degree of unsaturation of the fatty acid carbon chain.
 Fatty acids have low water solubilities, which decrease
with increasing carbon chain length; at 30°C, lauric
acid (12:0) has a water solubility of 0.063g/L and
stearic acid (18:0) a solubility of 0.0034 g/L.
 Water solubility for fatty acids is a direct function of the
carbon chain length; solubility decreases as carbon
length increases. Thus, short-chain fatty acids have
slight solubility in water while LCFA are insoluble in
water
 SCFA contains a considerable amount of carboxyl
group that is polar.
 LCFA contains more nonpolar hydrocarbon chain.
 Fatty acid melting point characteristics are greatly
influenced by Carbon chain length and degree of
unsaturation.
 If C-Chain is increased, melting point is also increased
due to a greater surface area associated with longer
carbon chains and increased intermolecular
attractions between fatty acid molecules.
 Melting points can also be related to the degree of
unsaturation.
 An increase in fatty acid saturation means an increase
in MP.
 An increase in fatty acid unsaturation means a
decrease in MP.
 Long-chain saturated fatty acids are solids at room
temperature and long-chain unsaturated fatty acids
are liquids at room temp
 The decreasing MP associated with the increasing
degree of unsaturation is explained by the decreased
intermolecular attraction between carbon chains.
 The double bonds in unsaturated fatty acids, which
generally has the cis-configuration, produce “bends” in
the carbon chains of these molecules.
 These bends prevent unsaturated fatty acids from
packing together as tightly as saturated fatty acids.
 The greater the number of double bonds, the less
efficient the packing.
 As a result, unsaturated fatty acids always have fewer
intermolecular attractions, and therefore lower MP,
than their saturated counterparts.
Triglycerides
 The human body is capable of storing small amounts
of energy-providing compounds for use when energy
demand is high.
 Glycogen is the most abundant compound in such
sense.
 But other compounds such as Lipids, can also store a
notable amount of energy that can be utilized once the
glycogen is exuded.
 Lipids such as TAG also function within the body as
energy-storage materials.
 They are concentrated primarily in the adipocytes
(under the skin, mammary glands, abdominal cavity
and covering other body organs) which are nearly
filled with such material
 TAG are much more efficient in storing energy than
glycogen because large quantities of such molecules
can be packed into a very small volume.
 They are the most abundant type of lipids found in the
human body.
 In terms of functional groups present, TAG are
triesters; three ester functional groups are present.
 An ester is a compound formed from the reaction of an
alcohol to that of a carboxylic acid.
 The alcohol involved in TAG formation is always
glycerol, a three carbon alcohol with three hydroxyl
groups.
Glycerol
 Fatty acids are the carboxylic acids involved in TAG
formation. In the esterification reaction producing a
TAG, a single molecule of glycerol reacts with three
fatty acid molecules; each of the three hydroxyl groups
present is esterified.
 The figure presented below shows the triple
esterification reaction that occurs between glycerol
and three molecules of stearic acid.
 Three molecules of water is produced as a by-product
of the reaction.
 Mixed Triaclyglycerol
 A triester formed from the esterification of glycerol with
more than one kind of fatty acid molecule.
 Naturally occurring simple TAG are rare. Most
biochemically important TAG are mixed TAG

 TAG do not actually contain glycerol and three fatty

acids, but rather contains glycerol residues and three
fatty acid residues. In the formation of TAG, three
molecules of water have been removed from the
structural components of the TAG, leaving residues of
the reacting molecules.
 TAG is a lipid formed by the esterification of three fatty
acids to a glycerol molecule.
 An acyl is found in a triacylglycerol.
 An acyl group is a portion of the carboxylic acid that
remains after the –OH group is removed from the
carboxyl carbon atom.
 TAG molecules contain three fatty acid residues (three
acyl groups) attached to a glycerol residue. An older
name is still frequently used for a Triacylglycerol is a
triglyceride.

Different types of TAG

 Simple TAG
 Mixed TAG

Simple TAG
 A triester formed from the esterification of glycerol with
three identical fatty acid molecules. If the reacting fatty
acid molecules are not all identical, then the result is a
mixed TAG.