Complex lipids and phospholipids

Start with lipid structure

Begin with the notes titled PBC: Biochemistry for an introduction to polar, hydrophilic heads and nonpolar, hydrophobic tails. The notes describe how these features give lipids both polar and nonpolar qualities. Use them to establish the structural terms that appear in other resources on this page.

Then open the Complex Lipids mind map. It lays out a glycerol backbone, fatty acids linked at C1 and C2, and a phosphate group at C3. Follow the branches to see how glycerophospholipids are named for the group linked to the phosphate.

Explore the mind maps

The sphingolipids mind map lists a long-chain fatty acid, sphingosine and a polar head group among its components. It also introduces ceramide and sphingomyelin. Compare its branches with those in Complex Lipids as you study the structures.

The phospholipids mind map lists glycerophospholipids including phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamines, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol. Another mind map covers phospholipid structure alongside the backbone of steroids and constituents of lipoproteins.

Practice with flashcards

After studying a map, use a flashcard deck to go over the terms. Complex lipids covers glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids and glycolipids. Lipids and membranes includes questions about simple lipids and fatty acids. Return to the maps when you want to see a term in its structural context.

There are no quizzes on this page, so the flashcards offer a way to practice alongside the maps. You can also use the deck on structural membrane lipids to study polar headgroups and nonpolar tails.

Use this section within Lipids

Complex lipids and phospholipids is one section of the Lipids unit in Biochemistry. The notes and flashcards connect this section to lipid structure and membranes, giving you material to use alongside the more focused mind maps.

Choose a mind map, then work through a flashcard deck to practice its terms.