Fatty Acids
Part of the Food Chemistry and the Lab section of Coddy's Chemistry journey. Lesson 5 of 27.
A fatty acid is a long C and H chain with a carboxyl group, COOH, at one end.
Butanoic acid, the acid of butter: a hydrocarbon tail and a carboxyl head
C-H bonds are almost non-polar, so the long tail does not mix with water: oil floats on water.
Food fatty acids have 12 to 20 carbons; butanoic acid, in butter, has 4.
Challenge
Butanoic acid gives old butter its smell. Mark its functional group: name the group and tap its atoms.
Try it yourself
Work it out on the board
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