Final answer:
Glycerol, a three-carbon alcohol, is used to form triglycerides through a dehydration synthesis reaction with fatty acids.
Step-by-step explanation:
The three-carbon alcohol used to form triglycerides is glycerol. This molecule serves as the backbone for triglycerides, where each of the three carbon atoms in glycerol can form an ester bond with a fatty acid. During the formation of triglycerides, a dehydration synthesis reaction occurs where glycerol gives up hydrogen atoms from its hydroxyl groups and each fatty acid chain gives up a hydroxyl group, resulting in the release of three water molecules. The process results in the creation of a triglyceride, a form of long-term energy storage in animals.
Glycerol, also known as glycerin, is the three-carbon alcohol that is used to form triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of lipid that serves as a storage form of energy in the body. Glycerol acts as the backbone for the triglyceride molecule, while fatty acids attach to the glycerol backbone through ester linkages.