IChO 1989 · Theory problem 6

Fats, fatty acids and phospholipids

Fats (lipids) contain a non-polar (hydrophobic) and a polar (hydrophilic) group. The lipids insoluble in water, have important biological functions.

6.1 Draw the structures of Z-octadec-9-enoic acid (oleic acid), octadecanoic acid (stearic acid), and hexadecanoic acid (palmitic acid).

6.2 Using these three fatty acids in part 6.1 draw one possible structure of a triacyl glyceride.

6.3 Write the equation for the hydrolysis reaction of your triacyl glyceride in part 6.2 in aqueous NaOH solution. Give the mechanism of the hydrolysis of one of the fatty acids from your glyceride.

6.4 Which of the following fatty acids, \(\ce{C21H43COOH}\), \(\ce{C17H35COOH}\) or \(\ce{C5H11COOH}\), is the least soluble in water?

6.5 Phospholipids are an important class of bioorganic compounds. Draw the structure of the phosphatidic acid derived from your triacyl glyceride in part 6.2.

6.6 Phospholipids are frequently characterized by the diagram:

Figure 1

i) Mark the hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups on a copy of the above diagram.

ii) Draw two possibilities for the association of six identical molecules of a phospholipid in water using the above diagram.

iii) Biomembranes consist of a phospholipid bi-layer. Draw such a model for a membrane using the above diagram.

iv) Such a model (iii) is incomplete. What other bio-macromolecules are contained in such biomembranes?

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • 6.1
  • Oleic acid, \((9Z)\)-octadec-9-enoic acid: CCCCCCCC/C=C\CCCCCCCC(=O)O
  • Stearic acid, octadecanoic acid: CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)O
  • Palmitic acid, hexadecanoic acid: CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)O

  • 6.2 One possible structure is 1-oleoyl-2-stearoyl-3-palmitoyl-sn-glycerol:
    CCCCCCCC/C=C\CCCCCCCC(=O)OC[C@@H](OC(=O)CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC)COC(=O)CCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

  • 6.3 Complete alkaline hydrolysis is: \[ \ce{C55H104O6 + 3 NaOH -> HOCH2CH(OH)CH2OH + C17H33COONa + C17H35COONa + C15H31COONa}. \] The products are:

  • Glycerol: OCC(O)CO
  • Sodium oleate: CCCCCCCC/C=C\CCCCCCCC(=O)[O-].[Na+]
  • Sodium stearate: CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)[O-].[Na+]
  • Sodium palmitate: CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)[O-].[Na+]

The mechanism is hydroxide addition to an ester carbonyl, collapse of the tetrahedral intermediate with loss of a glycerol-derived alkoxide, and proton transfer to form the carboxylate.

  • 6.4 Docosanoic acid (behenic acid), \(\ce{C21H43COOH}\), is least soluble:
    CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)O

  • 6.5 Retaining the oleoyl and stearoyl groups gives 1-oleoyl-2-stearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoric acid, a phosphatidic acid:
    CCCCCCCC/C=C\CCCCCCCC(=O)OC[C@@H](OC(=O)CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC)COP(=O)(O)O

  • 6.6(i) The polar head is hydrophilic; the two hydrocarbon tails are hydrophobic.

  • 6.6(ii) Two schematic arrangements are a micelle-like cluster, with six heads facing outward and tails inward, and a bilayer fragment, with three molecules in each opposing leaflet.

  • 6.6(iii) A membrane bilayer has polar heads facing the aqueous medium on both sides and hydrocarbon tails packed together in its interior.

  • 6.6(iv) Proteins are the principal additional biomacromolecules. Membranes also bear carbohydrate chains attached to proteins and lipids.

Solution

6.1

Number each fatty acid from its carboxyl carbon, which is C1.

Fatty acid Condensed structure Structural interpretation
Oleic acid \(\ce{HOOC-(CH2)7-CH=CH-(CH2)7-CH3}\) Eighteen carbons, with a \(Z\) double bond between C9 and C10.
Stearic acid \(\ce{HOOC-(CH2)16-CH3}\) Eighteen carbons and no carbon–carbon double bonds.
Palmitic acid \(\ce{HOOC-(CH2)14-CH3}\) Sixteen carbons and no carbon–carbon double bonds.

For the oleic acid drawing, place the two carbon-chain substituents on the same side of the double bond; the two attached hydrogens are consequently on the other side. The /C=C\ notation in its SMILES specifies this \(Z\) geometry. It does not prescribe conformations about the remaining single bonds.

6.2

A triacylglycerol has all three hydroxyl groups of glycerol esterified. Use one residue from each acid:

Glycerol position Attached acyl group
C1 Oleoyl
C2 Stearoyl
C3 Palmitoyl

To draw the chosen structure, place the glycerol carbon chain vertically, with C1 above C2 and C3 below it. Each glycerol oxygen connects to its fatty-acid residue through an ester linkage, \(\ce{-O-C(=O)-}\).

To specify the stereoisomer encoded in the answer, use a Fischer projection with the central hydrogen on the right and the central stearoyloxy substituent on the left. Horizontal bonds project toward the viewer, and vertical bonds project away. Keep the oleoyl double bond \(Z\).

The resulting molecular formula is \(\ce{C55H104O6}\). Other arrangements of the three acyl groups are also acceptable.

6.3

In water, O, sodium hydroxide, [Na+].[OH-], supplies the attacking hydroxide ion, [OH-]. Each ester group consumes one hydroxide ion, so complete hydrolysis consumes three equivalents.

The balanced equation in the Answers section produces glycerol and the three sodium carboxylates. Free fatty acids do not remain as the final products in aqueous alkali.

Consider cleavage of the palmitoyl ester at glycerol C3. For the mechanism, let:

  • \(\ce{R}\) denote the palmitoyl hydrocarbon chain, \(\ce{CH3(CH2)14-}\).
  • \(\ce{G-OH}\) denote 1-oleoyl-2-stearoyl-sn-glycerol, the product after removal of the C3 acyl group:
    CCCCCCCC/C=C\CCCCCCCC(=O)OC[C@@H](OC(=O)CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC)CO

The reacting ester can then be written as \(\ce{R-C(=O)-O-G}\).

  1. Nucleophilic addition \[ \ce{R-C(=O)-O-G + OH^- -> R-C(OH)(O^-)-O-G}. \] Draw an electron-flow arrow from a lone pair on hydroxide oxygen to the carbonyl carbon, and another from the carbonyl \(\pi\) bond to its oxygen.

The resulting tetrahedral oxyanion intermediate is:
CCCCCCCC/C=C\CCCCCCCC(=O)OC[C@@H](OC(=O)CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC)COC(O)([O-])CCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Either face of the carbonyl can be attacked; no configuration is specified at this temporary tetrahedral center.

  1. Collapse of the tetrahedral intermediate \[ \ce{R-C(OH)(O^-)-O-G -> R-C(=O)-OH + G-O^-}. \] Draw an arrow from the negatively charged oxygen’s lone pair toward the carbonyl carbon to restore the carbonyl bond. Simultaneously, move the electrons of the acyl carbon–glycerol oxygen bond onto the leaving oxygen.

This gives palmitic acid, whose SMILES is listed in 6.1, and the C3 alkoxide of 1-oleoyl-2-stearoyl-sn-glycerol:
CCCCCCCC/C=C\CCCCCCCC(=O)OC[C@@H](OC(=O)CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC)C[O-]

  1. Proton transfer \[ \ce{R-C(=O)-OH + G-O^- -> R-C(=O)-O^- + G-OH}. \] The alkoxide oxygen accepts the carboxylic acid proton; the acid’s oxygen–hydrogen bond electrons remain on its oxygen.

The products of this cleavage are the diacylglycerol defined above and the palmitate ion:
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)[O-]

Formation of the resonance-stabilized carboxylate makes saponification effectively irreversible under these conditions. Analogous cleavage of the two remaining ester groups ultimately yields glycerol, oleate and stearate. Sodium ions, [Na+], provide the counterions.

6.4

Including the carboxyl carbon, the three acids contain 22, 18 and 6 carbon atoms, respectively. They are docosanoic acid, stearic acid and hexanoic acid, CCCCCC(=O)O.

All have the same polar carboxyl group, but their nonpolar hydrocarbon chains differ greatly in length. Increasing that chain length makes hydration less favorable. Therefore, the longest-chain acid, docosanoic acid, \(\ce{C21H43COOH}\), is the least soluble in water.

6.5

A phosphatidic acid contains two fatty-acid ester groups and one phosphate monoester on the glycerol backbone.

Starting from the chosen triacylglycerol:

  • Retain the oleoyl ester at C1.
  • Retain the stearoyl ester at C2.
  • Replace the palmitoyl ester at C3 with a phosphate ester, so the terminal group becomes \(\ce{-CH2-O-P(=O)(OH)2}\).

Use the same glycerol stereochemical arrangement as in 6.2 and retain the oleoyl \(Z\) double bond. This gives the phosphatidic acid whose SMILES appears in the Answers section.

That SMILES depicts the fully protonated acid. Its phosphate head can ionize in aqueous solution.

6.6(i)

On the supplied symbol:

  • Label the circle, representing phosphate and other polar head groups, hydrophilic.
  • Label the two long tail lines, representing the hydrocarbon portions of the fatty-acid residues, hydrophobic.

The glycerol and ester region forms the interface between the polar head and the hydrocarbon tails.

6.6(ii)

Describe the two drawings as follows:

  1. Micellar arrangement: Place six head circles at equal intervals around a circle. From each head, direct both tails inward toward the common central region. Thus, all six polar heads face the surrounding water while the tails associate internally.

  2. Bilayer fragment: Place three head circles in an upper horizontal row, with their tails pointing downward. Place three more head circles in a lower row, with their tails pointing upward. The two sets of tails meet in the middle; the upper and lower head groups contact water on opposite sides.

These are schematic associations. Double-tailed phospholipids generally favor bilayers over small spherical micelles.

6.6(iii)

Extend the second arrangement into two continuous opposing leaflets. From top to bottom, the drawing should show:

  1. The aqueous medium.
  2. A row of polar heads.
  3. Tails directed downward.
  4. Tails from the opposite leaflet directed upward, meeting the first set in the hydrophobic interior.
  5. A second row of polar heads.
  6. The aqueous medium on the other side.

The membrane therefore presents hydrophilic surfaces to both aqueous compartments and encloses its hydrocarbon chains within the bilayer.

6.6(iv)

The principal missing biomacromolecules are proteins. Integral membrane proteins are embedded in the bilayer, and some span it completely; peripheral proteins associate with its surfaces.

Carbohydrate chains also occur as parts of glycoproteins and glycolipids, commonly on the noncytosolic surface. These names describe classes of substances rather than specified molecular structures, so no unique SMILES can be assigned without their sequences and connectivity.

The solution was checked against the official solution.