Final answer:
A 14-carbon fatty acid requires 6 rounds of β-oxidation to be fully oxidized to acetyl-CoA.
Step-by-step explanation:
To fully oxidize a 14-carbon fatty acid to acetyl-CoA through the process of β-oxidation, the number of cycles required can be calculated using the formula: (n/2 - 1). In this case, n represents the number of carbon atoms in the fatty acid.
For a 14-carbon fatty acid:
- Number of carbon atoms (n) = 14
- Cycles of β-oxidation required = 14/2 - 1 = 7 - 1 = 6
Therefore, it would take 6 rounds of β-oxidation to completely oxidize a 14-carbon containing fatty acid to acetyl-CoA. It's important to note that each cycle of β-oxidation shortens the fatty acid chain by two carbon atoms, eventually resulting in the production of acetyl-CoA units.