phospholipid (fŏs'fōlĭp`ĭd), lipid lipids, a broad class of organic products found in living systems. Most are insoluble in water but soluble in nonpolar solvents. The definition excludes the mineral oils and other petroleum products obtained from fossil material.
..... Click the link for more information. that in its simplest form is composed of glycerol bonded to two fatty acids fatty acid, any of the organic carboxylic acids present in fats and oils as esters of glycerol . Molecular weights of fatty acids vary over a wide range. The carbon skeleton of any fatty acid is unbranched. Some fatty acids are saturated, i.e.
..... Click the link for more information. and a phosphate group. The resulting compound called phosphatidic acid contains a region (the fatty acid component) that is fat-soluble along with a region (the charged phosphate group) that is water-soluble. Most phospholipids also have an additional chemical group bound to the phosphate. For example, it may be connected with choline; the resulting phospholipid is called phosphatidylcholine, or lecithin. Other phospholipids include phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylethanolamine. The bipolar character of phospholipids is essential to their biological function in cell membranes. The fat-soluble portions associate with the fat-soluble portions of other phospholipids while the water-soluble regions remain exposed to the surrounding solvent. The phospholipids of the cell membrane membrane, structure composed mostly of lipid and protein that forms the external boundary of cells and of major structures within cells. Membrane organization is based on a sheet two molecules thick—a double layer of lipids aligned with their long hydrocarbon
..... Click the link for more information. form into a sheet two molecules thick with the fat-soluble portions inside shielded on both sides by the water-soluble portions. This stable structure provides the cell membrane with its integrity.

phospholipid

or phosphatide

Any member of a large class of fatlike organic compounds that in their molecular structure resemble the triglycerides, except for the replacement of a fatty acid with a phosphate-containing polar group. The polar end of the molecule is soluble in water (hydrophilic) and water solutions (including cytoplasm); the other, fatty-acid end is soluble in fats (hydrophobic). In a watery environment phospholipids naturally combine to form a two-layer structure (lipid bilayer) with the fat-soluble ends sandwiched in the middle and the water-soluble ends sticking out. Such lipid bilayers are the structural basis of cell membranes. Phospholipids are the principal components of the myelin sheaths of neurons. Examples of phospholipids include lecithin, cephalins, phosphoinositides (in the brain), and cardiolipin (in the heart). See also detergent.

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phospholipid

phospholipid