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Questions tagged [fats]

Fats are triesters of glycerol and fatty acids. They are generally soluble in organic solvents.

5 votes
1 answer
331 views

why is alpha-linolenic acid "alpha"?

I'm learning about how fatty acid names are formed. In the process, I noticed a molecule called alpha-linolenic acid. There's a similar molecule called linoleic acid. Both have 18 carbons, but alpha-...
chrononaute's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
75 views

Cheap way to mix satured fat (beef tallow) with water?

I want to mix beef tallow (satured fat) in water. I want to prepare food or edible product. I know I must use a emulsifier, but I seen in this video, I can do it by a vacuum chamber. That means I have ...
Nestor's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
645 views

Can fats be composed of fatty acid esters other than triglycerides?

Fats are mainly referred to triglycerides. In triglycerides, a glycerol molecule form three ester linkages with fatty acids. I think it is also possible for a butane-1,2,3,4-tetraol molecule to form ...
Freeby Freeby's user avatar
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0 answers
20 views

Automatically extracting SMILES of sub-group of larger SMILES structure?

Is there any software tool that can automatically extract SMILES of fatty acid legs of phospholipids if the SMILES of the parent lipid is given? Or any tool that can do it in InChI ? Any advice will ...
user1776194's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
143 views

What reaction products are formed if an unsaturated fat is reacted at 20 - 50 °C with H2O2 of 35 %?

My question is: What reaction products are formed if an unsaturated fat is reacted at ca. 20 - 50 °C with aqueous hydrogen peroxide of ca. 35 %? To find the answer, we can subdivide the question into ...
IV_'s user avatar
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-3 votes
1 answer
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Can glycerol in substituted natural fats be a monomer according to European REACH Regulation? [closed]

European REACH regulation for registration of chemical substances has an own definition of a polymer according to this regulation. I've noticed the following problem. I want to discuss here only the ...
IV_'s user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
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How exactly does oil drying work (specifically with the case of linoleum)?

I understand that it’s a form of autoxidation, and so with the presence of oxygen, the oxygen reacts with a double bond of the unsaturated fat to create a hydro peroxide, however I don��t really ...
Emma Tchiorniy's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
126 views

Biochemically speaking, why aren't the cell membranes of eukaryotic, multicellular organisms made of more heat-resistant stuff?

TL;DR: there are lipids out there that are more heat-resistant than those in current cell membranes, yet current cell membranes don't have them. Why? I've cobbled together various miscellaneous ...
KEY_ABRADE's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
132 views

Do fats in edible oils and ghee undergo oxidation or rancidation when cooked in pressure cooker along with rice?

In a lot of dishes, it's quite common to cook rice along with fats like edible oil or ghee(clarified butter), in a pressure cooker. Now the pressure cooker can reach very high temperatures, to quickly ...
Profile name's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
67 views

Where do the chloride ions go during saponification precipitation?

During saponification hydroxide ions from the lye join to the triglyceride to form glycerol, and the sodium bonds with the fatty acids making the soap molecules. However, it is sometimes the case that ...
R Dev's user avatar
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Why there is not a consistent pattern between the carbon chain length and the melting point of fatty acids? [duplicate]

I looked at the melting temperature of different saturated fatty acids and I expected to see that with a longer chain of carbon the melting point would be higher as after all the var der Waals ...
Itay Levi's user avatar
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0 answers
75 views

Saponification - Oil and Alcohol?

I've been reading that a saponification reaction typically involves NaOH or KOH. I was wondering - could anything that contains an OH group cause a saponification reaction? For instance, coconut oil + ...
user267587's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Does glycerin dissolve in fat?

İ couldn't find much info on internet about solubility of glycerol in triglycerides. I suppose it is non soluble because glycerin is polar but fats aren't. But fats have glycerin side in them too, so ...
Ferid9's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
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Why baking soda neutralize the flavor of coconut oil?

I discovered recently that adding baking soda to a recipe can neutralize the strong flavours of the coconut oil. Does anyone know how it is working and what is, in a simple way, the chemical reaction ...
GFB's user avatar
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-3 votes
2 answers
83 views

How much lipoic acid is contained within octanoic acid? [closed]

As I understand it, lipoic acid is synthesized from octanoic acid: Lipoic acid is synthesized de novo in mitochondria from octanoic acid, an 8-carbon fatty acid (C8:0), bound to the acyl-carrier ...
Brett's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
187 views

Problem encountered during high school unsaturated fats experiment

To get straight to the point, my chemistry experiment was looking at the amount of unsaturated fats in avocado oil with respect to temperature. I did this by testing for the $\ce{C=O}$ bonds using ...
K King's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
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Does double ended fatty acid exist? [duplicate]

A fatty acid consists of a carbon chain, with a carboxylic acid on one end, and just a hydrogen on the other. Does a substance with two carboxylic acid ends and no hydrogen end exist?
Volker Siegel's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
181 views

Is omega 3 a specific fatty acid?

Is eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) omega 3 or that's just a acid that comes with a omega 3? Same question for docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Just want to know are both of those two acid omega 3 despite ...
Luka Zec's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
177 views

Are all fatty acids monocarboxylic acids?

The answer to this question might solve a multiple choice in my previous chemistry exam, which caused an argument with my teacher. We know that fatty acids form fats and oil due to their carboxylic ...
Amanuel Getachew's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
110 views

Would burning of around 200 kg of animal fat in a tunnel cause an explosion? [closed]

As shown in the movie Ironclad, they burnt a group of fat pigs together, under a tunnel, beneath the fort base and it resulted in a massive explosion. From chemistry's perspective, and considering ...
ksalf's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
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Why does coconut oil spoil much faster than groundnut oil?

I have observed that various foods cooked using coconut oil spoil much faster than foods cooked using groundnut oil. One good example is Asian coconut milk curry. Even with proper refrigeration, this ...
Tan Yong Boon's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
87 views

Double bonds in polyunsaturated fatty acids

$\omega - 3$ fatty acids are very frequently discussed. $\omega - 6$ is also mentioned. However, I don't recall mention of $\omega - 1$, $\omega - 2$, or $\omega - 4$. Also, in polyunsaturated ...
badjohn's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
640 views

Gelatination of solution in saponification

When I performed a saponification experiment in school, I added some ethanol to the solution (glycerol ester fatty acid + sodium hydroxide) to change the equilibrium of the reaction. (Molecules of ...
손현서's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
253 views

Uncertainty in measuring the mass of the palm oil and the base in saponification

I am a student coming from the domain of mathematics, and I am working on error analysis and uncertainty, but I have a question in the domain of chemistry. I am studying the effect of the ...
Nizar's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
213 views

How can I lower the flash point of stearic acid (Palm Based Fatty Acids) [closed]

I am trying to build a environmentally neutral firelighter that does not use petroleum based accelerant. I have found that the flash point is way to high to be viable in Stearic Acid (Hexadecanoic ...
Kai's user avatar
  • 21
3 votes
3 answers
400 views

fatty acid vs polyethylene [closed]

Both fatty acid and polyethylene are made (mostly) of carbons with hydrogens with a very similar configuration, yet, their properties are very different. What am I missing?
Kobi T's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
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Saponification value of a fat/oil

The saponification value of a fat was determined by adding $\pu{9.0 g}$ of the fat to flask containing $\pu{50.0 cm3}$ of $\pu{1.00 M}$ ethanolic potassium hydroxide. The remaining solution was ...
Amy McCulloch's user avatar
-3 votes
1 answer
2k views

Transformation of fats in presence of alcohol

I have always observed when cooking that if I have some amount of fat like oil or butter in a hot frying pan and I pour some alcohol like wine on it, then there is a reaction and the quantity of ...
dyulf_rikk's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
22k views

What makes trans fats more harmful than saturated ones?

Why are by many trans fats considered to be worse for you than fully saturated fats? I am asking specifically which of their structural features accounts for this condemnation. They won't form clumps ...
Necrophagist's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
19k views

Why is there a difference in available energy in saturated vs. unsaturated fatty acids?

On Wikipedia it states: In cellular metabolism, unsaturated fat molecules contain somewhat less energy (i.e., fewer calories) than an equivalent amount of saturated fat. Can someone explain why ...
user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
153 views

Are there super(calorie-)dense foods?

It’s commonly reported that there are 9 kilocalories per gram of fat, 7 per gram of alcohol, and 4 per gram of carbohydrates or protein. But these figures (with the exception of that for alcohol, ...
SudoSedWinifred's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
997 views

How does fat affect the precipitation of proteins?

I am doing an experiment using milk, heavy cream, and vinegar. We are trying to precipitate proteins from milk and heavy cream. When I did the experiment with milk, it was very quick reaction and ...
AveryJessup's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Which is better: iodine number or bromine number?

The degree of unsaturation of fats can be determined with the help of two type of scale namely iodine number and bromine number. Generally, iodine number is more preferred over bromine number (Is ...
Nilay Ghosh's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
2k views

What exactly happens when vegetable oil is partially hydrogenated?

My current assumption is that partial hydrogenation requires a polyunsaturated fat, because partial implies at least one but not all, which means there must be at least two double bonds in the fat, ...
user27186's user avatar
1 vote
4 answers
8k views

Why are trans fats worse than saturated fats?

Saturated fat molecules have no double-bonded carbons, so they are long and straight, which means they stack easier and tend to form solids at room temperature, and solids are better at forming ...
user27188's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

What causes straight fatty molecules to form a lattice (e.g. saturated fats)?

What causes multiple chains of saturated fats to pack together and form a solid? It is said that because the chains are straight, they form a lattice and line up more easily. But if I had a bunch of ...
user27186's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
5k views

Trying to understand the causes and implications of kinks in fatty acid chains

I watched this video (The Deal with Fat by SciShow): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvvx2yQRbzQ To summarize the main points I want to discuss: Saturated fats are chains without any double-bonds ...
user27186's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
288 views

Why are fats glossy?

I am talking about the standard fats we see in everyday use (triglycerides). It seems that no matter what the composition, saturated or unsaturated, all fats are glossy when liquid. I don't know if ...
rumtscho's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
3k views

Does solid fat float in liquid fat?

Ice floats in its liquid state, water, because it is less dense, and I know fat also floats in water BUT will a piece of fat dropped into a pot of melted fat also float? or will it sink and what is it ...
cev's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
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Solubility of cholesterol and phospholipids in acetone

I'm having difficulty with this specific part of an assignment. I know that it is to do with polarities of the different parts of cholesterol and that it is because cholesterol is amphiphilic, but I ...
blythe's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
557 views

Why is peanut butter viscous?

Why is it that when you chop peanuts, a highly viscous paste is created? Im assuming that the reason that chopped peanuts dont become just dust is because we cannot chop finely enough, but what ...
User2341's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
198 views

Is it possible to make a fuel cell that runs on triglyceride?

I apologize if this is a silly question. The reason I ask is I'm wondering if it would be possible to build a fuel cell that runs on body fat. I know ones for butane exist, could they work for this? ...
netsplit's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
134 views

Energy in molecules

A textbook states: Fats also provide an efficient way to store energy over long time periods, since they contain over twice as much energy per gram as carbohydrates What's the chemistry ...
escargot agile's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
4k views

What is the density of carbohydrates/protein/fat? [closed]

As in weight per volume? I mean.. you always see them specified by weight but they have to have a volume, right? I suppose different fat(for example) molecules would have different densities but then ...
user18004's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
647 views

Why does olive oil make 90 degree grids on a nonstick pan?

Whenever I add olive oil to my cold nonstick pan and try to swirl it, it ends up making these 90-degree grids. Is this something to do with the oil, the pan, or the interaction between the two? I find ...
A.J. Kandy's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
469 views

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 ...
James Paul Turner's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

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,...
bonCodigo's user avatar
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18 votes
5 answers
196k views

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 ...
Tomáš Zato's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
1k views

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 ...
Tomáš Zato's user avatar
  • 2,518
0 votes
1 answer
974 views

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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