What are phospholipids?
Phospholipids are molecules made of glycerol bound to two long molecules of fatty acids and to one phosphate group. Therefore, phospholipids are amphipathic molecules, i.e., they have a non-polar portion, due to the long fatty acid chains, and a polar portion, due to the group phosphate. Phospholipids are the main component of cell membranes. Sphingomyelin, the substance that forms the myelin sheath of axons in the nervous system, is a phospholipid too.
