15 - Fats And Oils - Building Triglycerides Flashcards
What are Triglycerides and how are they formed?
Triglycerides are trimesters of propane-1,2,3-diol (Glycerol) and three fatty acids.
What are animal/plants fats?
Animals and Plant fats/oils are esters of long chain carboxylic acid called fatty acids.
What are Fatty Acids? How do they occur in nature?
Fatty Acids are long chained carboxylic acids. They can either be saturated or unsaturated. They’re generally contain an even number of carbon atoms in nature.
Where’s the double bond in mono-unsaturated fats usually found?
The double bond in mono-unsaturated fats is usually found between carbon’s 9 and 10.
What’s the shorthand notation for Fatty Acids?
The first number indicates the number of carbon atoms. The number after the colon indicates the number of double bonds. The number(s) in brackets indicate the position(s) of the double bonds.
What are Triglycerides?
Triglycerides are trimesters with three fatty acids joined to each of the alcohol groups on glycerol via an ester linkerage.
What’s a simple Triglyceride? How do they usually occur in nature?
A simple Triglyceride is composers of only one type of fatty acid. In nature they’re usually derived from 2 or 3 different fatty acids.
What influences whether a Triglyceride is saturated or unsaturated?
The fatty acid that they’re derived from influence whether or not a Triglyceride is saturated. If the fatty acid they’re derived from is saturated then the Triglyceride will also be saturated.
