Fatty Acid Nomenclature

Lipids

• The most abundant lipid in nature is triglycerides.
• A simple triglyceride is a type of triglyceride that has three fatty acids connected to glycerol of the same type.
• Hydrolysis is the process that results in the production of monoglyceride.
• The main difference between fats and oils is that fats are solid at room temperature, while oils are liquid.
• The chemical property that allows fats to float on water is their non-polar and hydrophobic nature.

Fatty Acids

• The systematic name for a C18 fatty acid with no double bonds is stearic acid.
• The notation 18:2 signifies that a fatty acid has 18 carbon atoms and 2 double bonds.
• When counting from the distal end, with the ω-carbon as number 1, the position of a double bond is represented by the symbol ω (omega) followed by a number.
• The position of a double bond can also be represented by the symbol ∆ (delta) followed by a superscript number.
• The α, β, and ω-carbons in a fatty acid are the carbon atoms that are closest to the carboxyl group, next to the α-carbon, and at the end of the fatty acid chain, respectively.

Fatty Acid Structure

• The systematic name for a C18 fatty acid with two double bonds is linoleic acid.
• The notation 18:0 signifies that a fatty acid has 18 carbon atoms and no double bonds.
• The systematic name for a C16 fatty acid with no double bonds is palmitic acid.

Fats and Waxes

• The main difference between fats and waxes is that fats are esters of glycerol, while waxes are esters of long-chain fatty acids and long-chain alcohols.
• A mixed triglyceride is a type of triglyceride that has three fatty acids connected to glycerol of different types.
• The chemical property that allows fats to be insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents like ether and benzene is their non-polar and hydrophobic nature.
• Lipolysis is the process that results in the production of diglyceride.

Test your knowledge on the systematic nomenclature of fatty acids, which involves deriving the name from the parent hydrocarbon by substitution. Learn about naming conventions for saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.