(i) The building blocks of lipids are the long chain hydrocarbons, glycerol and cholesterol.
They are special group of lipids. Building blocks of lipids show various types of reactivities of ester linkage and the degree of unsaturation of hydrocarbon chain. Simple fatty acids, Sphingosine, Glycerol and Cholesterol these are the building blocks of lipids.
(ii) Chemical properties of Lipids :
Hydrolysis: On hydrolysis with alkali or lipolytic enzyme lipases, fats are broken down into their components fatty acids and glycerols.
Saponification : The hydrolysis of fats by alkali to produce glycerol and soaps (salts of fatty acids) is known as saponification.
