15 Carbon 30 hydrogen 2 oxygen?

Question

i have 15C , 30 H, and 2O. Now suppose there are three fatty acids with this mollecular formula. Are these saturated or unsaturated fats? how do you know?

Answer 1

Carbon is the backbone and assume it forms a chain. Carbon has 4 electrons in its outer shell and wants 4 more. If this is a chain that means there are 32 spaces for bonds to form and only 30 hydrogens. If we assume the Oxygens are part of an alcohol (OH) group that means there are only 28 H fr 30 spaces.

Its unsaturated

Answer 2

A fat molecule has a carboxylic acid group at one end and a carbon chain with the last carbon having 3 hydrogens attached to it. If you have 15C, 30H, and 2O, then subtract 1C, 1H, and the 2O to account for the carboxylic acid group (-CO2H). That leaves 14C and 29H. Then you subtract 1C and 3H to account for the last carbon that always terminates with 3 hydrogens (-CH3). Now we're left with 26H and 13C. Each carbon can make 4 bonds, so in this case there are 52; however, each carbon loses two bonds that go towards making the carbon chain by forming a bond with the carbon in front and behind it. That leaves us with 26 bonds available.

A saturated fat means that the carbon chain is saturated with hydrogens meaning it is carrying the maximum amount of hydrogens possible. An unsaturated fat, by comparison carries less than the maximum amount of hydrogens. The extra bonds get used by making carbon-carbon double bonds.

In this case we have 26 bonds available, so this fat has to have 26 hydrogens in order to be classified as a saturated fat. Anything less makes it an unsaturated fat. There is a way for it to have less hydrogens and not be a saturated fat, but this means disqualifying the molecule as a fatty acid completely (for instance, instead of a -CO2H there would be 2 alcohol (-OH) groups screwing up the carbon hydrogen math I described above). But as long as you know that it's a fatty acid, stick to the math above and you'll be alright.

Answer 3

fat is said to be saturated when the carbons in the fat compound has hydrogen binding to all the carbon bonds. A fat is unsaturated when the carbon atoms form double bonds with one another due to insufficient hydrogen. In this case the fat is saturated because every carbon is bounded to hydrogen and oxygen rather than bond with another carbon to form double bonds as in unsaturated fats. Below is the diagram (structural formula) of the fatty acid given.

H H H H H H H H H H H H H--O
H ---C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C- H
H H H H H H H H H H H H H H--OH

An example of an unsaturated fat structural formula would the double bonds in the structural formular below:
H H H H H H H H H H H H H H-O
C=C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C
H H H H H H H H H H H H H H--OH

Answer 4

These are saturated. It's a saturated Fat.
The C chain is holding all the H that it can hold. In other words, all C bonds are occupied. The Carbons are "saturated" with Hydrogens.
If it were unsaturated you would have less hydrogens.