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Fat, It’s All About the Double Bonds
IN THIS CHAPTER, we will use some of the ideas developed previously to talk about some of the large molecules commonly discussed in everyday life. We hear about such things as saturated fats, unsaturated fats, transfats, and cholesterol. What are these things, and how do they differ? What are the relationships between molecular structure and health effects?
WHAT IS A FAT MOLECULE?
When we say fat, you may think of butter, lard, olive oil, or cottonseed oil. Each of these is actually a mixture of different fats. Figure 16.1 shows one particular molecule that is a fat. It is stearic acid. It is a long hydrocarbon chain with an organic acid group on the end. Stearic acid has 18 carbon atoms. The end carbon ...
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