Carbohydrates & lipids - fatty acids Flashcards
What are the two main forms of fatty acids?
Saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids
Unsaturated fatty acids can be further classified into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
What is the structure of saturated fatty acids?
All carbon-carbon bonds are single bonds, so each carbon atom in the hydrocarbon tail is bonded to two hydrogen atoms
This means that the fatty acid is saturated with hydrogen.
Why are saturated fatty acids solid at room temperature?
They are straight molecules that can pack tightly together
This tight packing increases their melting point.
What is a characteristic of unsaturated fatty acids?
They contain at least one carbon-carbon double bond
This results in a kink or bend in the hydrocarbon tail.
What type of fatty acid has one carbon-carbon double bond?
Monounsaturated fatty acid
These fatty acids have lower melting points than saturated fatty acids.
What are polyunsaturated fatty acids?
Fatty acids with many carbon-carbon double bonds
They also have low melting points and are often liquid at room temperature.
What is the effect of double bonds in unsaturated fatty acids?
They cause the hydrocarbon tail to kink or bend
This prevents them from packing tightly like saturated fatty acids.
What is the role of saturated fatty acids in animals?
They are used as storage molecules
Examples include fats in meat and butter.
What happens to the melting point of lipids containing monounsaturated fatty acids?
They have a lower melting point than saturated fatty acids
This allows them to form liquid oils.
Fill in the blank: Fatty acids have long ______ tails.
hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbons are molecules composed of hydrogen and carbon.
True or False: Unsaturated fatty acids are always solid at room temperature.
False
Unsaturated fatty acids are often liquid at room temperature due to their structure.
