Question

What is the most significant chemical difference between triacylglycerols and glycerophospholipids that leads to their different functions?

Answer 1

Answer:

Triacylglycerols (triglycerides) are non-polar or hydrophobic molecules

Glycerophospholipids (phosphoglycerides) are polar or hydrophilic

Explanation:

Triacylglycerides (TGs) are esters synthesized by the esterification of three molecules of glycerol and fatty acid, and this is essentially by the replacement of the three hydroxyl groups on glycerol with three fatty acids. This removes the hydrophilic property from the glycerol molecule hence TGs are only soluble in non-polar solvents like alcohol and benzene, and TGs are therefore the storage forms of fats in adipose tissues.

Glycerophospholipids are formed by the addition of two hydrophobic fatty acid groups and one phosphoric acid (phosphate group) to glycerol (alcohol) leaving a hydrophilic head (phosphate end) and a hydrophobic tail (fatty acid ends). This amphipathic property of this molecule makes it a suitable molecule for membrane structures, especially of cells (lipid bi-layer), with an arrangement where the hydrophilic side interacts with the aqueous environment, while the hydrophobic side makes contact with the non-aqueous environment.

Answer 2

Triacylglycerols-

• They are nonpolar,
• hydrophobic, and
• insoluble in water.
• This is due to the ester linked bond between the polar hydroxyls of glycerol and the polar carboxylates of the fatty acids.

Glycerophospholipids-

• Glycerol-based phospholipids.
• The alcohol here is glycerol, to which two fatty acids and phosphoric acid are attached as esters.
• The two fatty acid chains attached to the molecule of glycerol are nonpolar hence hydrophobic
• While the polar heads which mainly consists of the phosphate group attached to the third carbon of the glycerol molecule is hydrophilic.

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