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
- SL
Exam analysis
Chance of appearing2%of analysed past papers
Latest appearanceNovember 2023
Most common paperPaper2
Typical marks1–4
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
November 2023Paper2 ["SL"] · TZ26(b)[ 4 ]B1.1.8—Hydrophobic properties of lipids
November 2023Paper2 ["SL"] · TZ16(b)[ 4 ]B1.1.8—Hydrophobic properties of lipids
May 2019Paper1 ["SL"] · TZ17[ 1 ]B1.1.8—Hydrophobic properties of lipids
Practice this objective
Coverage 2019–2023 · 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.