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- DictionaryFat·ty ac·id/ˈfadē ˈasəd/
noun
- 1. a carboxylic acid consisting of a hydrocarbon chain and a terminal carboxyl group, especially any of those occurring as esters in fats and oils.
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Jul 4, 2024 · Fatty acid, important component of lipids in plants, animals, and microorganisms. Generally, a fatty acid consists of a straight chain of an even number of carbon atoms, with hydrogen atoms along the length of the chain and at one end of the chain and a carboxyl group (—COOH) at the other end.
In chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. [1]
Oct 4, 2019 · Fatty Acids Definition. Fatty acids are comprised of hydrocarbon chains terminating with carboxylic acid groups. Fatty acids and their associated derivatives are the primary components of lipids.
Fats are just one type of lipid, a category of molecules united by their inability to mix well with water. Lipids tend to be hydrophobic, nonpolar, and made up mostly of hydrocarbon chains, though there are some variations on this, which we'll explore below.
Fatty acids. (Top) Stearic acid is a fully saturated fatty acid with no carbon-carbon double bonds. (Bottom) Oleic acid is an unsaturated fatty acid. Due to the mechanism of synthesis, most fatty acids have an even number of carbons, although odd-numbered carbon chains can also be generated.
Fatty acids are carboxylic acids with long hydrocarbon chains. There are two groups of fatty acids--saturated and unsaturated. Recall that the term unsaturated refers to the presence of one or more …
Mar 1, 2021 · Overview. A fatty acid is a subunit of fats, oils, and waxes. It pertains to any long chain of hydrocarbon, with a single carboxylic group and aliphatic tail. It is produced by the breakdown of fats (usually triglycerides or phospholipids) through a process called hydrolysis. Fatty acids are a subgroup of lipid s.
