B1.1.8—Hydrophobic properties of lipids
Lipids are mostly hydrophobic molecules with low oxygen-to-carbon ratios, making them insoluble in water and dependent on transport complexes in blood.
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2025
- Objective
- B1.1.8
- Level
- HL
Exam analysis
Chance of appearing2%of analysed past papers
Latest appearanceMay 2018
Most common paperPaper1
Typical marks1
Common command terms
- Explain
Scoring notes
- Common mistake
- Calling oils insoluble without linking this to non-polar hydrocarbon chains and lack of hydrogen bonding.
Recent exam appearances
May 2018Paper1 ["HL"] · TZ16[ 1 ]B1.1.8—Hydrophobic properties of lipids
May 2017Paper1 ["HL"] · TZ25[ 1 ]B1.1.8—Hydrophobic properties of lipids
Practice this objective
Coverage 2017–2018 · Updated 15 Jul 2026
Concept essentials
- Lipids are generally hydrophobic because large parts of their molecules are non-polar.
- Oils do not form hydrogen bonds with water, while glucose can.
- Steroids are lipids partly because they have a low oxygen-to-carbon ratio.
- Cholesterol and fats are transported in blood within lipoprotein complexes.