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Saturated fats have all of the following characteristics except:

a) Contain double bonds between carbon atoms
b) Solid at room temperature
c) Predominantly found in animal products
d) Each carbon atom is saturated with hydrogen atoms

1 Answer

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Final answer:

Saturated fats do not have double bonds between carbon atoms; they are solid at room temperature, typically come from animal sources, and do not dissolve in water easily. The characteristic that does not apply to saturated fats is their ability to dissolve in water easily.

Step-by-step explanation:

Saturated fats have a distinct set of characteristics that are important to understand. Contrary to unsaturated fats, saturated fats do not contain double bonds between carbon atoms. Instead, in saturated fats, each carbon atom has single bonds and is saturated with hydrogen atoms, meaning there are no double bonds anywhere in the chain. Due to their chemical structure, saturated fatty acids are able to pack tightly together, making them solid or semi-solid at room temperature.

Common sources of saturated fats are animal products, like butter, lard, and the fat found in meats. They are widely recognized for being solid at room temperature as a result of their tightly packed molecular structure. However, the one characteristic that does not apply to saturated fats is their ability to dissolve in water easily. Fats, in general, are hydrophobic and do not mix well with water.

Therefore, when answering the question concerning the characteristics of saturated fats, option (d) 'They tend to dissolve in water easily' is the characteristic that does not apply to saturated fats. This is in line with the scientific understanding that fats and water are not miscible due to the nonpolar nature of fats and the polar nature of water molecules.