What is the structure of fatty acids?

Generally, a fatty acid consists of a straight chain of an even number of carbon atoms, with hydrogen atoms along the length of the chain and at one end of the chain and a carboxyl group (―COOH) at the other end. It is that carboxyl group that makes it an acid (carboxylic acid).

What are the classifications of fats?

Types of Fats

Saturated fat. Saturated fat is solid at room temperature, which is why it is also known as “solid fat.” It is mostly in animal foods, such as milk, cheese, and meat.
Trans fat. This is a fat that has been changed by a process called hydrogenation.
Unsaturated fat.
Total fat.

What are the 4 types of fatty acids?

Fatty acids can be divided into four general categories: saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats. Saturated fatty acids and trans fats are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.

What are the 3 main types or categories of fatty acids?

There are three main types of fatty acids: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. All fatty acids are chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon atoms.

What is the structure of unsaturated fatty acids?

Unsaturated Fatty Acids Unsaturated fatty acid carbon chains contain one or more double bonds with a terminal carboxylic group (–COOH), unlike saturated fatty acids, which contain no double bonds. These fatty acids are subdivided into two groups depending on the number of double bonds.

What is the structure of palmitic acid?

C16H32O2
Palmitic acid/Formula

What are the properties of fatty acids?

Physical Properties:

Fats and fatty acids are soluble in organic solvents, such as petroleum ether, benzene and chloroform.
Saturated fatty acids are solid at room temperature, while unsaturated fatty acids are liquid.
Unsaturated fatty acids show cis-trans isomerism due to presence of double bonds.

What are the 2 major categories types of fatty acids?

There are two types of fatty acids: saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids. Both types consist mainly of simple chains of carbon atoms bonded to one another and to hydrogen atoms. The two types of fatty acids differ in how many hydrogen atoms they contain.

What are the two categories of fatty acids?

What is classified as an unsaturated fatty acid?

Unsaturated fatty acids contain one or more double/triple carbon-carbon bonds in the carbon chain. On this basis this class of lipids can be divided into: monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), if only one double bond is present; acetylenic fatty acids, if one or more triple bonds are present.

What is the structure of saturated fatty acids?

Saturated fatty acids are compounds that consist of a hydrocarbon chain and a carboxylic acid group (-COOH) at the end of the chain. These fatty acids are referred to as saturated because the hydrocarbon chain is saturated with hydrogen atoms due to the absence of double bonds.