Why is it that in all natural lipids double bonds are always cis?
Answer) A fat or a lipid molecule consists of two main components: glycerol and fatty acids where Glycerol is an alcohol with three carbons, five hydrogens, and three hydroxyls (OH) groups and Fatty acids have a long chain of hydrocarbons with a carboxyl group attached.
The fatty acid is said to be unsaturated when the hydrocarbon chain contains a double bond. Now, there are two types of configurations for the arrangement of molecules around the carbon atom. If hydrogens are present in the same plane, it is referred to as a cis fat and if the hydrogen atoms are on two different planes, it is referred to as a trans fat.
The cis double bond causes a kink or a bend in the structure of the hydrocarbon chain that prevents the fatty acids from packing tightly, keeping them liquid at room temperature.
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