|
Long-chain
carboxylic acids, with 10 to 20 carbons, are called fatty acids
because they are obtained from fats. They are all insoluble in water
and form monolayers at air-water interfaces, as do high-molecular-weight
alcohols, with their carboxyl groups in the water and their hydrocarbon
tails exposed to air. Five of the most important fatty acids in
living organisms are shown above. Saturated fatty acids, such as
palmitic and stearic, have no double bonds in their hydrcarbon chains;
unsaturated fatty |
acids
such as oleic and palmitoleic, have one double bond; polyunsaturated
acids have two or more double bonds. |
|
