ABSTRACT
Natural as well as synthetic polar lipids are used as emulsifiers in foods, cosmet ics, plastics, and pharmaceuticals. The molecular organization in the solid state of polar lipids is governed by their amphiphilic nature. The polar head groups are oriented in sheets, allowing interactions involving hydrogen bonds, dipoldipol or ionic interactions, and the layers of polar groups are separated by the hydrocarbon chains forming a bilayer structure, similar to the structure of bio membranes. The crystal structure of pure, racemic 1-monoglycerides was first described by Larsson in 1966 [1] and was later reviewed by Small (1986) [2] and Larsson (1994) [3].
