About Lipids
Lipids are a diverse range of compounds for which no agreed
definition exists. In the first of the articles below,
we define lipids as fatty acids and their derivatives, and substances related
biosynthetically or functionally to these compounds.
A general summary of the chemistry, occurrence, composition and biology of these
essential and fascinating natural compounds is presented here. It is hoped that
the reading lists at the end of these essays will provide for advanced biochemists, who might otherwise find my approach too simple.
PDF files of each topic are available for download at the end of web-pages. Related lipids are grouped together in the documents listed below, but there are shortcuts to a full list of individual lipid classes here.
The first two articles describe in general terms what lipids are and why they are so important in nature.
The basics: |
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Further documents are grouped into four main sections according to chemical structures, and they can be addressed from the following links -
Lipid nomenclature - This subject is dealt with at many points in the above documents,
but this webpage provides some basic information and points to some useful sources.
Analysis - this is only discussed briefly in this section, as there is much more elsewhere on this website.
Please note that this is a work in progress, and pages are updated regularly as new information becomes available - additions, comments and corrections are welcomed.
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Updated: 9/4/2008 |
Scottish Crop Research Institute (and MRS Lipid Analysis Unit), Invergowrie, Dundee (DD2 5DA), Scotland
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