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| Fatty acids are an essential part of the human body, they make up part of all [[cell|cell]] [[Cell_membrane|membranes]] and are a vital energy source. A fatty acid is made up o two functional chemical regions, one being the [[hydrophilic|hydrophilic]] [[carboxylic acid|carboxylic acid]] head that [[Covalent|covalently]] links to other fatty acids. The second is a long chain of [[hydrocarbons|hydrocarbons]] which are [[Hydrophobic|hydrophobic]] and chemically unreactive. The chain is either saturated and contains no double carbon-carbon bonds and the maximum number of hydrogen atoms (palmitic acid) or unaturated and contain double bonds (oleic acid.)
| | See [[Fatty_acid|fatty acid]] |
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| Fatty acids in the form of [[triacylglycerol|triacylglycerol]] are stored in the [[Cytoplasm|cytoplasm]] of some cells, this consists of three fatty acid chains linked to a molecule of [[Glycerol|glycerol]]. When used for energy in the body the fatty acid chains are released and form two [[carbon|carbon]] units and enter the same [[metabolism|metabolism]] as [[glucose|glucose]].
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| Fatty acids are a common type of [[lipid|lipid]], insoluble in [[water|water]] but soluble in [[fat|fat]]. The fatty acid chains form phospholipids in cell membranes, with two fatty acids attached to glycerol and the third attached to a [[phosphate|phosphate]] group. Phospholipids consist of a hydrohobic tail (fatty acid chains) and a hydrophilic head (phosphate) making them [[Amphiphilic|amphiphilic]]. This structural propertis enable the lipids to form a lipid bilayer, the basis of a cell membrane <ref>Alberts, Molecular Biology of the Cell, fifth addition, pg 58-59</ref>.'''<u><br></u>'''
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| === References ===
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| <references />
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Latest revision as of 18:13, 22 November 2011