Question

Which of the following would yield the most highly mobile phospholipid (listed number of carbons and number of double bonds, respectively)?

a. 16 carbons, 1 double bond
b. 18 carbons, 2 double bonds
c. 14 carbons, 3 double bonds
d. 20 carbons, 4 double bonds

Answer 1

Option (c), which has 14 carbons with 3 double bonds, would yield the most highly mobile phospholipid due to shorter chain length and higher number of double bonds causing increased fluidity in the plasma membrane.

Step-by-step explanation:

The phospholipid that would yield the most highly mobile membrane would be the one with fewer carbons and more double bonds in its hydrocarbon tails. This configuration allows for more fluidity in the membrane as the double bonds create kinks in the hydrocarbon chains, preventing them from packing closely together.

Hence, the answer is option (c), which is 14 carbons with 3 double bonds, as it has the shortest chain length and the highest number of double bonds, providing the greatest potential for mobility within the phospholipid bilayer part of the plasma membrane of cells.