Thomas E. Thompson | Britannica

Thomas E. Thompson

Contributor

BIOGRAPHY

Professor of biochemistry, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.

Primary Contributions (1)

A composite diagram shows the structural formulas, space-filling models, and simplified depictions of lipid molecules including stearic acid and phosphatidylcholine, and how these assemble into a micelle and lipid bilayer, with labels identifying hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails.

Lipid, any of a diverse group of organic compounds including fats, oils, hormones, and certain components of membranes that are grouped together because they do not interact appreciably with water. One type of lipid, the triglycerides, is sequestered as fat in adipose cells, which serve as the…