Final answer:
Fatty acids are carboxylic acids that are structural components of fats, oils, and all other categories of lipids. They can be classified into saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids based on the presence and number of carbon-to-carbon double bonds. Saturated fatty acids have straight chains, while unsaturated fatty acids have bent chains due to the presence of carbon-carbon double bonds.
Step-by-step explanation:
Fatty acids are carboxylic acids that are structural components of fats, oils, and all other categories of lipids, except steroids. They usually contain an even number of carbon atoms (typically 12-20), are generally unbranched, and can be classified by the presence and number of carbon-to-carbon double bonds. Saturated fatty acids contain no carbon-to-carbon double bonds, monounsaturated fatty acids contain one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and polyunsaturated fatty acids contain two or more carbon-to-carbon double bonds.
The chemical structure of saturated fatty acids, such as arachidic, stearic, and palmitic, consists of straight chains. On the other hand, unsaturated fatty acids have bent chains. Monounsaturated fatty acids, such as erucic and oleic, have a single double bond between carbons creating a single bend in the chain. Polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as arachidoic and linoleic, have multiple carbon-carbon double bonds creating multiple bends.