Question

g The most common position for an double bond in an unsaturated fatty acid is delta _________(fill in the number).

Answer 1

Answer:

The most common position for an double bond in an unsaturated fatty acid is delta 9 (Δ⁹)

Explanation:

Unsaturated fatty acids are carboxylic acids which contains one or more double bonds. The chain length as well as the number of double bonds is written separated by a colon. The positions of the double bonds are specified starting from the carboxyl carbon, numbered as 1, by superscript numbers following a delta (Δ). For example, an 18-carbon fatty acid containing a  single double bond between carbon number 9 and 10 is written as 18:1(Δ⁹).

In most monounsaturated fatty acids, the double bond is between C-9 and C-10 (Δ⁹), and the other double bonds of polyunsaturated fatty acids are generally Δ¹² and Δ¹⁵. This positioning is due to the nature of the biosynthesis of fatty acids. In the mammalian hepatocytes, double bonds are introduced easily into fatty acids at the Δ⁹ position, but cannot introduce additional double bonds between C-10 and the methyl-terminal end. However, plants are able to introduce these additional double bonds at the  Δ¹² and Δ¹⁵ positions.