Table of Contents
What three chains are fats made of?
Fatty acids are constructed from the chemical elements carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Fatty acids can be divided into a carboxylic acid head group–hence fatty acid–linked to a long chain of carbon atoms.
What are the 3 types of fatty acid chains that can be here?
Saturated fatty acids, such as arachidic, stearic and palmitic, have straight chains. Unsaturated fatty acids have bent chains. Monounsaturated fatty acids, such as erucic and oleic have a single double bond between carbons creating a single bend in the chain.
Are lipids hydrocarbon chains?
Lipids tend to be hydrophobic, nonpolar, and made up mostly of hydrocarbon chains, though there are some variations on this, which we’ll explore below. The different varieties of lipids have different structures, and correspondingly diverse roles in organisms.
What are fatty acids made of?
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 fatty acid chains?
What are the components of a fat molecule?
A fat molecule consists of two main components—glycerol and fatty acids. Glycerol is an organic compound (alcohol) with three carbons, five hydrogens, and three hydroxyl (OH) groups. Fatty acids have a long chain of hydrocarbons to which a carboxyl group is attached, hence the name “fatty acid.”
How are fatty acids converted into lipid bilayers?
Substitution of one of the fatty acids of fats gives phospholipids. These form the lipid bilayers of cell membranes. The polar phosphate part of the molecule interacts strongly with water at the outside of the membrane while the long alkyl chains are hydrophobic and remain on the inside. Fats are also converted into:
Which is an example of an unsaturated fatty acid?
Oleic acid is a common unsaturated fatty acid. Most unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and are called oils. If there is one double bond in the molecule, then it is known as a monounsaturated fat (e.g., olive oil), and if there is more than one double bond, then it is known as a polyunsaturated fat (e.g., canola oil).
What are the components of a lipid molecule?
Lipids are also the building blocks of many hormones and are an important constituent of all cellular membranes. Lipids include fats, oils, waxes, phospholipids, and steroids. A fat molecule consists of two main components—glycerol and fatty acids.