Triglycerides

• how are triglycerides formed?

  they are formed by the combination of 1 glycerol molecules and 3 molecules of fatty acids
• what stays the same and what differs in each triglyceride?

  • the glycerol molecule in a lipid is always the same
  • the fatty acid component varies
• what happens in the reaction between fatty acids and glycerol to form triglycerides?

  • the fatty acids join to glycerol by condensation reactions
  • the 3 molecules of water are removed and ester bonds are formed between the glycerol and fatty acid
• whats an ester bond?

  an oxygen atom joining 2 atoms, one of which is a carbon attached by a double bond to another oxygen atom