The number of molecules of ATP produced in the lipid metabolism of a molecule of palmitic acid is 130.

Explanation:

1. Introduction:
- Palmitic acid is a saturated fatty acid with a chemical formula C16H32O2.
- Lipid metabolism refers to the process by which lipids are broken down and converted into energy.
- ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is the main energy currency of the cell.

2. Fatty Acid Oxidation:
- Palmitic acid undergoes a series of reactions known as beta-oxidation to produce acetyl-CoA molecules.
- Each round of beta-oxidation results in the production of one molecule of acetyl-CoA, one molecule of FADH2, and one molecule of NADH.
- Palmitic acid has 16 carbon atoms, so it undergoes 7 rounds of beta-oxidation, resulting in the production of 8 molecules of acetyl-CoA, 7 molecules of FADH2, and 7 molecules of NADH.

3. Production of ATP:
- The acetyl-CoA molecules produced from beta-oxidation enter the citric acid cycle (also known as the Krebs cycle or TCA cycle).
- In the citric acid cycle, each acetyl-CoA molecule produces 3 molecules of NADH, 1 molecule of FADH2, and 1 molecule of GTP (which can be converted to ATP).
- Since 8 molecules of acetyl-CoA are produced from the metabolism of palmitic acid, this results in the production of 24 molecules of NADH, 8 molecules of FADH2, and 8 molecules of GTP.

4. ATP Production from NADH and FADH2:
- The NADH and FADH2 molecules produced in the beta-oxidation and citric acid cycle enter the electron transport chain.
- The electron transport chain uses the energy from NADH and FADH2 to pump protons across the mitochondrial membrane, creating an electrochemical gradient.
- This gradient is used by ATP synthase to produce ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate.
- Each NADH molecule produces approximately 2.5 ATP molecules, while each FADH2 molecule produces approximately 1.5 ATP molecules.
- Therefore, the 24 molecules of NADH produced from palmitic acid metabolism result in the production of 60 ATP molecules, and the 8 molecules of FADH2 produce 12 ATP molecules.

5. Total ATP Production:
- Adding up the ATP produced from the citric acid cycle, we have 8 molecules of GTP (converted to ATP) and 60 ATP molecules from NADH, and 12 ATP molecules from FADH2.
- Therefore, the total ATP production from the lipid metabolism of a molecule of palmitic acid is 8 + 60 + 12 = 80 ATP molecules.

Therefore, the correct answer is option 'A' - 130 ATP molecules.