Glycerol is the backbone of what?

Answer 1

phospholipids

Answer 2

Fat.

Lipids are a broad class of molecule that include many individual molecular species.

Glycerol is a 3 carbon chain with 3 hydroxyl groups (-OH) hanging off the side. These hydroxyl groups are the sites where fatty acids can be attached by way of condensation between this and the carboxylic acid (-COOH) group which makes the fatty acid an acid.

The resulting molecule has 3 long fatty acid chains hanging off of a glycerol backbone, almost like 3 tines of a comb. The term for this is a "tri-acyl glycerol", a member of the lipid class of compounds.

Some lipid molecules have something substituted at one of the glycerol hydroxyl positions such as a phosphate group making it a phospholipid or a "sphingosine" making it a sphingomyelin. Phospholipids are what cell membranes are made from, and sphingomyelin is a key component in the insulation coat that wraps around neural axons called myelin.

Lipids are widely used throughout the physiology of our bodies as energy storage, insulators, membrane components, chemical messengers, and chemical precursors for the formation of other important compounds.

Answer 3

So, you're taking HS bio and need an answer for your homework, right?

OK, glycerol (or 'glycerin') is a three carbon compound very similar to propane (like in your gas grill). Except, in propane all three of the carbons are covered with hydrogens so the formula for propane is C3H8. But the name glycerol with the 'ol' should tip you off that what you are talking about is an alcohol, not an alkane. Alcohols have OH groups (hydroxyls) stuck on in place of hydrogens. So if you hitched on one hydroxyl group you would have propanol instead of propane, but if you stick on three hydroxyl groups, one on each carbon, then you can call it glycerol. You will be able to imagine it more easily if you draw a picture. C3H5(OH)3.
OK, so if you have a hydroxyl stuck on, then you can hitch something else on at that spot. That's how the glycerol gets to be a "backbone", eh? Since glycerol has three hydroxyls you can hitch on three things. What you are going to hitch on is this, a long chain of carbon atoms, maybe 22 or more of them in a line, with hydrogens stuck all over it. But, at one end the carbon on the end doesnt have a hydrogen, instead it has a carboxyl, that is, a carbon with an OH and also an Oyxgen. so for the last Carbon on the end of the chain its formula is COOH. What happens is,the glycerol has an OH sticking off each of its carbons. So the OH on the end carbon of the glycerol, plus the OH on the end carbon of the long chain, bump together and do a switch. Two hydrogens and an oxygen pop off (H2O) and the remain oxygen ties the carbon chain on to the glycerol. That is a mono-glyceride. Since there are two more OH's hanging off the glycerol, this can happen two more times, so you can get a di-glyceride and a tri-gylceride. Another name for mon, di and tri glyverides is "fats" The name for the long chain of carbons with the carboxyl on the end is a "fatty acid"
So there you go. If this makes sense, you can keep on thinking about premed. If it doesnt make sense, then probably you should be thinking about doing English, Education or Business in college.

Answer 4

lipids