Questions tagged [fats]
Fats are triesters of glycerol and fatty acids. They are generally soluble in organic solvents.
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Why is Omega-3 a polyunsaturated and not a monounsaturated fatty acid?
If Omega-3 is a fatty acid with a single double bond at the third carbon atom from the omega end, then why is it regarded as a polyunsaturate and not a monounsaturate? Are there different Omega-3s ...
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When disqualifying trans fat, are we qualifying cis-fat as healthy?
I have a question about fats. This may sound cliché! Because we are in the era of "trans-fat" free, "unsaturated" food. Not to mention it's the period where people get sicker and die faster (oh may be,...
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How to dissolve candle wax (paraffin)?
Wikipedia states that waxes can be dissolved by non-polar organic solvents.
I failed to dissolve candle wax in both acetone and ethanol, which are the only organic solvents I have at home.
I have ...
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Can I use Sunflower oil to make soap?
When reading about making glycerine soap, the recipes suggested to melt animal fat and mix it with $\ce{NaOH}$.
Could I use Sunflower oil instead? Or a olive oil for nice flavor? Is heating necessary ...
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Is FA 18:2 undifferentiated the same as linoleic acid?
On wiki, linoleic acid has the code number FA 18:2 cis,cis-9,12. But then what exactly is FA 18:2 undifferentiated?
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Why unsaturated fats are usually cis?
I've been studying organic chemistry and I think trans fats are actually more stable than cis fats. This is because the steric hindrance (for trans) would be lower and the molecule energy would be ...
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What happens when C17H35COO-, a soap, reacts with an acidic solution?
My book says that-
In acidic water, the negative fatty acid ions become fatty acids.
However, they did not include a chemical equation to demonstrate this, so I made my own:
$$\ce{C17H35COO- (aq)...
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'Hard' soap vs. 'Soft' soap: Why do they work this way?
In school, we did an experiment using fat and $\ce{KOH}$ to create 'soft' soap.
Afterwards, we added $\ce{NaOH}$ to change it into 'hard' soap.
I read on multiple places on the internet that the ...
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Saturated vs unsaturated fats - Structure in relation to room temperature state?
I'm sure most of us have heard that saturated fats are solid at room temperature, and unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. I'm wondering how this relates to their chemical structure -- ...