Final answer:
The basic structural building blocks of fats are fatty acids. They are carboxylic acids that can be further categorized based on the presence of carbon-to-carbon double bonds and are fundamental in forming triglycerides and phospholipids.
Step-by-step explanation:
Basic Structural Building Blocks of Fats
The basic structural building blocks of fats are fatty acids. These are carboxylic acids that serve as the structural components of fats, oils, and a variety of other lipid categories, with the exception of steroids. Fatty acids typically contain an even number of carbon atoms, most commonly ranging from 12 to 20. They are usually unbranched in their structure. Fatty acids can be further classified into saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated types based on the presence and the number of carbon-to-carbon double bonds they possess. Saturated fatty acids have no carbon-to-carbon double bonds, monounsaturated fatty acids have one such bond, and polyunsaturated fatty acids contain two or more.
In addition to simply existing as free fatty acids, they chemically bond to glycerol to form important lipids such as triglycerides and phospholipids. Triglycerides are formed from three fatty acids bonded to one glycerol molecule, resulting in a hydrophobic molecule that many organisms use to store energy. Phospholipids contain two fatty acid chains and a phosphate group, giving them amphipathic properties and enabling them to form cell membranes and other large scale biostructures.
It's important to note that the other options listed such as amino acids, nucleotides, and monosaccharides serve as building blocks for proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates, respectively, not fats.