Discussion
Which of the following compounds would one expect to be liquid (with the lowest density) at room temperature?
*This question is included in 02. Biological Molecules, question #9
| (A) | A saturated triglyceride |
| (B) | ... |
| (C) | ... |
| (D) | ... |
| (E) | ... |
| (F) | ... |
The solution is
Posted: 11/13/2013 11:39
I understand the unsaturated part, but it said the least density? It seems to me, monounsaturated would be the least dense.
Posted: 01/14/2014 12:13
A monounsatured fat has one ("mono") double carbon bond in the chain preventing a hydrogen from bonding there. A polyunsaturated fat has many ("poly") double carbon bonds, preventing additional hydrogen-carbon bonds at those locations. The fewer hydrogen-carbon bonds (or conversely, the more carbon double bonds), the less dense the compound. This is what is meant in the solution explanation by "the more points of unsaturation." Hope that helps!
Posted: 09/10/2014 21:28
Unsaturation results from double bonds in the hydrocarbon chain which make the chain "kink" or bend in certain areas instead of being a straight chain. The kinked chains don't stack as well as the straight chains. This means that they would be less likely to form a stable solid lattice structure as is normally seen in solids.