What is the general formula for unsaturated fatty acids?
1 Answer
A fatty acid consists of a carboxyl head (COOH) bonded to a hydrocarbon tail. An unsaturated fatty acid contains one or more double-bonded carbons in the hydrocarbon tail, reducing the amount of hydrogen atoms present.
Explanation:
A fatty acid consists of a hydrocarbon chain bonded to a carboxyl group (COOH). The carboxyl group is referred to as the head, and the hydrocarbon chain is referred to as the tail.
Saturation refers to the number of hydrogen atoms and double bonded carbon atoms in a fatty acid. A saturated fatty acid has only single-bonded carbon atoms, and the maximum number of hydrogen atoms, so the fatty acid chain is saturated with hydrogen atoms. An unsaturated fatty acid contains at least one pair of double-bonded carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain, so there are fewer hydrogen atoms
A monounsaturated fatty acid contains one double-bonded pair of carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain, which reduces the number on hydrogen atoms in the hydrocarbon chain, making it unsaturated.
A polyunsaturated fatty acid contains two or more double-bonded pairs of carbon atoms, so its hydrocarbon chain contains even fewer hydrogen atoms.
