[2] Glycerol 1-phosphate is synthesized by reducing dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP), a glycolysis intermediate, with sn-glycerol-1-phosphate dehydrogenase.

Glycerol 1-phosphate is a starting material for de novo synthesis of ether lipids, such as those derived from archaeol and caldarchaeol.

A second geranylgeranyl group is then added on the sn-2 position making unsaturated archaetidic acid.

[4] Organisms other than archaea, i.e. bacteria and eukaryotes, use the enantiomer, glycerol 3-phosphate for producing their cell membranes.

The fact that archaea use the flipped chirality compared to these two groups is termed a lipid divide.