Triglyceride Flashcards
Triglyceride characteristics
Are non-polar, hydrophobic(insoluble has no affect on osmosis molecules)
What are the monomers of triglyceride
three fatty acids and glycerol
Glycerol is an
alcohol (an organic molecule that contains a hydroxyl group bonded to a carbon atom)
Fatty acids contain a
methyl group at one end of a hydrocarbon chain known as the R group (chains of hydrogens bonded to carbon atoms, typically 4 to 24 carbons long) and at the other is a carboxyl group
Fatty acids can vary in two ways
Length of the hydrocarbon chain (R group)
The fatty acid chain (R group) may be saturated (mainly in animal fat) or unsaturated (mainly vegetable oils, although there are exceptions e.g. coconut and palm oil)
saturated meaning
No double bond between carbon atoms
Unsaturated fatty acids can be
mono( A carbon chain which posses a carbon chain with one double bond between carbons
or
poly-unsaturated: Fatty acids which posses a chain of many double bonds between carbons
If H atoms are on the same side of the double bond they are
cis-fatty acids and are metabolised by enzymes
If H atoms are on opposite sides of the double bond they are
trans-fatty acids and cannot form enzyme-substrate complexes, therefore, are not metabolised. They are linked with coronary heart disease
Triglycerides are formed by
esterification
An ester bond forms when a hydroxyl (-OH) group on glycerol bonds with the carboxyl (-COOH) group of the fatty acid:
Ester bond formation explained
An H from glycerol combines with an OH from the fatty acid to make water
The formation of an ester bond is a condensation reaction
For each ester bond formed a water molecule is released
Three fatty acids join to one glycerol molecule to form a triglyceride
Therefore for one triglyceride to form, three water molecules are released
three ester bonds
glycerol formula
c3h8o3
