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What Types of Bonds Do Lipids Form?

Lipids are hydrophobic molecules (molecules that are repelled by water). This is the only thing that all lipids have in common; there is a large variety of lipids, including fats, oils and steroids. Lipids are commonly used in organisms as a way to store energy. Lipids are made up of some combination of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen atoms, though the combination of these atoms in the molecule differs depending on the type of lipid. Atoms in a lipid form either a single or double bond with one another.

  1. Covalent Bonds

    • Atoms in lipids form a type of chemical bond called covalent bonds. Covalent bonds occur when atoms share electrons. Atoms with a large amount of electrons (such as oxygen, with its eight electrons) can bond with multiple atoms. Carbon atoms in a lipid commonly share four of their six electrons, with two going to hydrogen atoms and the other two either going with an oxygen atom or another carbon atom, depending on its location in the molecule chain.

    Single Bonds

    • The most common type of covalent bond found in a lipid is a single bond. Single bonds are when two atoms only share one electron. Single bonds are common in nature because hydrogen only has one electron, and thus can only form a single bond. This allows the carbon and oxygen atoms in the lipid molecule to bond with multiple other atoms.

    Double Bonds

    • Atoms in a lipid can also form a double bond. A double bond is when two atoms share two pairs of atoms, as opposed to a single bond where they only share one pair. In a lipid, this can only occur between the carbon and oxygen atoms because they are the only ones with multiple electrons. Double bonds are advantageous because they require a much higher energy level to break in comparison to single bonds.

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