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Fatty acids

Fatty acids are carbon chains with a methyl group at one end of the molecule and a carboxyl group at the other end. The length of carbon chains is usually 16 or 18 carbon atoms.

The C-H bonds in fatty acids are relatively non-polar. This is the reason fats mix poorly with water.

Illustration of the three types of fatty acids. The saturated fatty acids look like a straight chain, the unsaturated fatty acids have a 45-degree kink, and the trans fatty acids have a small kink, but are almost visible as a straight line.

Figure 1. Types of fatty acid. a)Saturated fatty acid, b) Unsaturated fatty acid, c) Trans fatty acid

Referred from:

Article
Saturated fatty acids