ABSTRACT
Lipids are organic compounds such as fatty acids or natural oils, waxes, and steroids that are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. Lipids are important for the formation of lipid bilayers and the chemistry of esters is important to the discussion of lipids. This chapter offers a brief introduction into some of the organic chemistry of mineral acids, nitric, sulfuric, and phosphoric acid. Nitrate esters are often unstable, and the trinitrate ester of glycerol is the well-known explosive, nitroglycerin. Indeed, nitroglycerin and related nitrate esters are important compounds used to treat episodes of angina in people who have coronary artery disease. An alternative is the reaction of phosphorous pentoxide with an excess of an alcohol to yield a mixture of phosphate esters. The hydrolysis of pyrophosphate esters such as tetraethyl diphosphate, for example, yields the phosphate ester diethyl hydrogen phosphate.
