lipid
Any of a group of organic compounds that are
- 1.greasy to the touch,
- 2.insoluble in water
- 3.soluble in alchohols and ether.
Lipids are the main constitieunts of fats
. They are important
as major fuels in cell metabolism. Along with water, proteins, nucleic acids
and carbohydrates, lipids are essential
biomolecules in the structure and function of living matter.
Polar lipids have amphiphillic properties and are the building blocks
of cell membranes and liposomes.
liposomes (lipid vesicles)
Spherical closed structures of curved lipid
bilayers (vesicles) which entrap in their interior a part of the solvent in
which they freely float. They may be composed of one or several concentric
bilayer membranes.
Their sizes ranges in the range from 20nm to several dozens micrometers,
while the thickness of their membranes is about 4nm.
Lecithin is a common example.
lyotropic
Systems (usually in the context of liquid crystals ) whose
properties (e.g. phase) are dependent on their concentration
rather than on the temperature.