Lipid extra info

Question 1

Saturated fatty acids
In saturated fatty acids, the bonds between the carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon tail are

Answer 1

all single bonds

Question 2

The fatty acid is said to be ‘saturated’ with hydrogen
This means that

Answer 2

each carbon atom in the hydrocarbon tail (except for the final carbon atom) is bonded to two hydrogen atoms

Question 3

In unsaturated fatty acids, the bonds between the carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon tail are not

Answer 3

all single bonds

There is at least one carbon-carbon double bond (in some unsaturated fatty acids there are many carbon-carbon double bonds)

Question 4

These double bonds cause the hydrocarbon tail of unsaturated fatty acids to

Answer 4

kink (bend slightly), meaning they are not as straight as saturated fatty acids

Question 5

The fatty acid is said to be ‘unsaturated’ because the hydrocarbon tail

Answer 5

does not contain the maximum number of hydrogen atoms possible

This is because each carbon atom in a carbon-carbon double bond can only bond to one hydrogen atom (instead of two)