Biology Help?!?!?

Question

What are the properties of carbom that make carbon compounds so numerous?

What is the difference between a saturated, unsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acid?

How does the polarity of water molecules make water the best solvent?

Need help on these questions because they are on my study guide and i have NO clue what the answers are even after looking in my book. Please help even if you have the answes to just one of these questions...THANKS!

Answer 1

Carbon can make covelant bounds that are stable.
saturated fat have a maximum number of hydrogen atoms
unsaturated fat dont (becauz of double bonds between carbon atoms)
Poly unsaturated fat have many double bounds between carbon atoms
Water's polarity help it to make hydrogen bonds with a lot of solute.


I'm sure that it's in your text book. Look for it again if my answers don't help

Answer 2

carbon is a very stable element that's why you see so many carbon compounds. it is stable because it can easily make 4 strong and stable covalent bonds to other elements and tie up both it's own as well as the other elements valence electrons.

Saturated fats mean that the end carbons are fully bound with hydrogens (3 hydrogens). And that all the inner carbons on the chain are bound to hydrogens. Unsaturated means that not every carbon is fully bound with hydrogens. Polyunsaturated I am not sure... I haven't heard that term before.

The polarity question I'm unsure of. I know its shaped like a "V" with the Oxygen at the bottom of the "V" and the hyrdrogens coming up at 45 degrees and that all the charge is held down at one end but I forget which end is + and which is -

hope this helps

Answer 3

Carbon forms four bonds. A single carbon-carbon bond is nice and stable, and so carbon chains may be formed.

Saturated means there are no double C=C bonds in the R group -- instead, your R group is basically a hydrocarbon in which each carbon atom is bonded to two other carbon atoms in a chain, and to two hydrogen atoms. Unsaturated means half the carbon-carbon bonds are double bonds. Polyunsaturated means the same as unsaturated, but sounds nicer when a woman says it on a margerine commercial on TV.

Water's polarity makes it able to dissolve a lot of polar and semi-polar molecules and aggregates, and also to dissociate a good number of ions.

Answer 4

1. it has the ability to form 4 covalent bonds.

2. Saturated: Carbon, carbon single bonds, saturated with hydrogen. Unsaturated; carbon, carbon double bonds, less room for hydrogen. Poly unsaturated; serial double bonds.

3 Their polarity allows for the easy dissociation of ionic compounds. Allows hydrogen bonding.

Answer 5

It's talking about aquarium filters... For #1 could it be the process of absorption? Chemically was in bold in the last sentence of the article.
Granular Activated Carbon (GAC)
While GAC is normally categorized under chemical filtration, it also has some mechanical filtration (see below) properties.Granular activated carbon acts as an organic sponge.The carbon is very porous, allowing it to trap physical particles.The process of trapping the waste particles is called absorption.There are also chemical properties that make carbon attract certain forms of impurities such as phosphate, organic acids, proteins, metals such as copper, and antibiotic compounds contained in the aquarium water.The process of attracting these impurities is called adsorption.One of the best uses that I have found for carbon is the removal of organic acids that give the aquarium water the yellow tint that is often seen by reef hobbyists.

Absorption is a process that works similarly to a sponge.The process can be compared to washing your car with a sponge.The car is sprayed with water, the sponge is then run over the surface, it collects dirt but leaves the water behind.Similarly, in the aquarium, water is forced through a medium (GAC) that traps waste particles; removing the medium brings the trapped particles along with it.

Adsorption is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as the capability of a solid substance (adsorbent) to attract to its surface molecules of a gas or solution (adsorbate) with which it is in contact.In our aquarium realm, the definition is the capability of a solid substance (carbon) to attract to its surface, molecules of a solution (aquarium water with impurities) with which it is in contact.

Adsorption may be analogous to the example of static electricity buildup on a computer monitor.The static electricity buildup on a computer monitor attracts dust particles from the air similar to how carbon attracts impurities from our aquarium water.The aquarium water (air) flows through the carbon (static charged computer screen), which attracts the chemical impurities (dust), binds them, and keeps them from going back into the aquarium water.Unlike absorption, which physically traps particulate matter, the process of adsorption chemically attracts impurities and binds them through chemical processes.

#2Fat can be divided into two categories: saturated and unsaturated fats (check out the overview).


Saturated Fats
These are the "bad" fats. When taken in large quantities, saturated fats raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease.

For example: atherosclerosis occurs when lipid-laden plaques build up in the walls of arteries, eventually completely occluding blood flow. As a result, blood cannot nourish vital tissues such as the heart or the cerebral cortex, causing the tissue to die (necrosis). Saturated fats have also been implicated in some cancers, such as breast and prostate cancers.

Sources:
Mainly from animal sources, such as meat, cheese, yogurt, and whole milk



Unsaturated Fats
There are two types of unsaturated fats:
Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated

Monounsaturated fats


Although the fatty acids of monounsaturated fats can be made in the liver and fat tissue, in is important to add them to the diet. Monounsaturated fats have been implicated in protecting against heart disease and some types of cancer.

Sources:
Sources include canola oil, peanuts, peanut oil, olives, olive oil, avocados, and cashews



Polyunsaturated fats


Polyunsaturated fatty acids are called essential fatty acids (EFA's) because, unlike saturated or monounsaturated fats, the body can't make them from precursors. EFA's serve as precursors for certain membrane phospholipid and glycolipid substances as well as for prostaglandins, mediators within cells that control important functions.

Sources:
Sources vary in their essential fatty acid content, with some containing large amounts of one family and less of another. For example, organic flax oil is the richest plant source of omega-3 fatty acids, while borage oil is a rich source of omega-6 fatty acids.


The importance of incorporating a balanced EFA intake has only been widely known since the 1980's. A basic understanding of EFA's and their role in maintaining a healthy body will enable you to make informed choices about the fats you choose.


#3Water: the universal solvent


Water is a universal, superb solvent due to the marked polarity of the water molecule and its tendency to form hydrogen bonds with other molecules. One water molecule, expressed with the chemical symbol H2O, consists of 2 hydrogen atoms
and 1 oxygen atom.



Standing alone, the hydrogen atom contains one positive proton at its core with one negative electron revolving around it in a three-dimensional shell. Oxygen, on the other hand, contains 8 protons in its nucleus with 8 electrons revolving
around it. This is often shown in chemical notation as the letter O surrounded by eight dots representing 4 sets of paired electrons.



The single hydrogen electron and the 8 electrons of oxygen are the key to the chemistry of life because
this is where hydrogen and oxygen atoms combine to form a water molecule, or split to form ions.



Hydrogen tends to ionize by losing its single electron and form single H+ ions which are simply isolated
protons since the hydrogen atom contains no neutrons. A hydrogen bond occurs when the electron of a single hydrogen atom
is shared with another electronegative atom such as oxygen that lacks an electron.




Polarity of water molecules


In a water molecule, two hydrogen atoms are covalently bonded to the oxygen atom. But because the oxygen atom is larger
than the hydrogens, its attraction for the hydrogen's electrons is correspondingly greater so the electrons are drawn closer
into the shell of the larger oxygen atom and away from the hydrogen shells. This means that although the water molecule
as a whole is stable, the greater mass of the oxygen nucleus tends to draw in all the electrons in the molecule including
the shared hydrogen electrons giving the oxygen portion of the molecule a slight electronegative charge.



The shells of the hydrogen atoms, because their electrons are closer to the oxygen, take on a small electropositive charge.
This means water molecules have a tendency to form weak bonds with water molecules because the oxygen end of the
molecule is negative and the hydrogen ends are positive.


A hydrogen atom, while remaining covalently bonded to the oxygen of its own molecule, can form a weak bond with the oxygen of another molecule. Similarly, the oxygen end of a molecule can form a weak attachment
with the hydrogen ends of other molecules. Because water molecules have this polarity, water is a
continuous chemical entity.



These weak bonds play a crucial role in stabilizing the shape of many of the large molecules found in living matter.
Because these bonds are weak, they are readily broken and re-formed during normal physiological reactions.
The disassembly and re-arrangement of such weak bonds is in essence the chemistry of life.



To illustrate water's ability to break down other substances, consider the simple example of putting a small amount of table salt in a glass of tap water. With dry salt (NaCl) the attraction between the electropositive sodium (Na+) and electronegative chlorine (Cl-) atoms of salt is very strong until it is placed in water. After
salt is placed in water, the attraction of the electronegative oxygen of the water molecule for the positively charged sodium ions, and the similar attraction of the electropositive hydrogen ends of the water molecule
for the negatively charged chloride ions, are greater than the mutual attraction between the outnumbered
Na+ and Cl- ions. In water the ionic bonds of the sodium chloride molecule are broken easily because of
the competitive action of the numerous water molecules.

As we can see from this simple example, even the delicate configuration of individual water molecules enables them to break
relatively stronger bonds by converging on them. This is why we call water the universal solvent. It is a natural solution
that breaks the bonds of larger, more complex molecules. This is the chemistry of life on earth, in water and on land.

Sorry I couldn't copy the diagrams for you. Go to www.ask.com. Type in your question, or copy and paste it, click on the 4th one down "Microwater.....". When the article comes up, click Edit at the top of your computer screen, then FIND, and type in the word polarity. It'll take you right to it. Good luck.

Answer 6

Carbon is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol C and atomic number 6. An abundant nonmetallic, tetravalent element, carbon has several allotropic forms.
Carbon occurs in all organic life and is the basis of organic chemistry. This nonmetal also has the interesting chemical property of being able to bond with itself and a wide variety of other elements, forming nearly ten million known compounds. When united with oxygen it forms carbon dioxide, which is vital to plant growth. When united with hydrogen, it forms various compounds called hydrocarbons which are essential to industry in the form of fossil fuels. When combined with both oxygen and hydrogen it can form many groups of compounds including fatty acids, which are essential to life, and esters, which give flavor to many fruits. The isotope carbon-14 is commonly used in radioactive dating.
Carbon is a remarkable element for many reasons. Its different forms include the hardest naturally occurring substance (diamond) and one of the softest substances (graphite) known. Moreover, it has a great affinity for bonding with other small atoms, including other carbon atoms, and its small size makes it capable of forming multiple bonds. Because of these properties, carbon is known to form nearly ten million different compounds, the large majority of all chemical compounds. Carbon compounds form the basis of all life on Earth and the carbon-nitrogen cycle provides some of the energy produced by the Sun and other stars. Moreover, carbon has the highest melting/sublimation point of all elements. At atmospheric pressure it has no actual melting point as its triple point is at 10 MPa (100 bar) so it sublimates above 4000 K. Thus it remains solid at higher temperatures than the highest melting point metals like tungsten or rhenium, regardless of its allotropic form.
Carbon was not created during the Big Bang due to the fact that it needs a triple collision of alpha particles (helium nuclei) to be produced. The universe initially expanded and cooled too fast for that to be possible. It is produced, however, in the interior of stars in the horizontal branch, where stars transform a helium core into carbon by means of the triple-alpha process. It was also created in a multi-atomic state.



Saturated fatty acids

Saturated fatty acids do not contain any double bonds or other functional groups along the chain. The term "saturated" refers to hydrogen, in that all carbons (apart from the carboxylic acid [-COOH] group) contain as many hydrogens as possible. In other words, the omega (ω) end contains 3 hydrogens (CH3-) and each carbon within the chain contains 2 hydrogen

Saturated fatty acids form straight chains and, as a result, can be packed together very tightly, allowing living organisms to store chemical energy very densely. The fatty tissues of animals contain large amounts of long-chain saturated fatty acids. In IUPAC nomenclature, fatty acids have an [-oic acid] suffix. In common nomenclature, the suffix is usually -ic.

The shortest descriptions of fatty acids include only the number of carbon atoms and double bonds in them (e.g. C18:0 or 18:0). C18:0 means that the carbon chain of the fatty acid consists of 18 carbon atoms and there are no (zero) double bonds in it, whereas C18:1 describes an 18-carbon chain with one double bond in it. Each double bond can be either in a cis- or trans- conformation and in a different position with respect to the ends of the fatty acid, therefore, not all C18:1s, for example, are identical. If there is one or more double bonds in the fatty acid, it is no longer considered saturated, rather it makes it mono- or polyunsaturated.

Most commonly occuring saturated fatty acids are:

This is a computer generated image of Dodecanoic Acid, a fatty acid.
Butyric (butanoic acid): CH3(CH2)2COOH or C4:0
Caproic (hexanoic acid): CH3(CH2)4COOH or C6:0
Caprylic (octanoic acid): CH3(CH2)6COOH or C8:0
Capric (decanoic acid): CH3(CH2)8COOH or C10:0
Lauric (dodecanoic acid): CH3(CH2)10COOH or C12:0
Myristic (tetradecanoic acid): CH3(CH2)12COOH or C14:0
Palmitic (hexadecanoic acid): CH3(CH2)14COOH or C16:0
Stearic (octadecanoic acid): CH3(CH2)16COOH or C18:0
Arachidic (eicosanoic acid): CH3(CH2)18COOH or C20:0
Behenic (docosanoic acid): CH3(CH2)20COOH or C22:0
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Unsaturated fatty acids

Unsaturated fatty acids are of similar form, except that one or more alkenyl functional groups exist along the chain, with each alkene substituting a singly-bonded " -CH2-CH2-" part of the chain with a doubly-bonded "-CH=CH-" portion (that is, a carbon double bonded to another carbon).

The two next carbon atoms in the chain that are bound to either side of the double bond can occur in a cis or trans configuration.
cis
A cis configuration means that the two carbons are on the same side of the double bond. The rigidity of the double bond freezes its conformation and, in the case of the cis isomer, causes the chain to bend and restricts the conformational freedom of the fatty acid. The more double bonds the chain has in the cis configuration, the less flexibility it has. When a chain has many cis bonds, it becomes quite curved in its most accessible conformations. For example, oleic acid, with one double bond, has a "kink" in it, while linoleic acid, with two double bonds, has a more pronounced bend. Alpha-linolenic acid, with three double bonds, favors a hooked shape. The effect of this is that in restricted environments, such as when fatty acids are part of a phospholipid in a lipid bilayer, or triglycerides in lipid droplets, cis bonds limit the ability of fatty acids to be closely packed and therefore could affect the melting temperature of the membrane or of the fat.
trans
A trans configuration, by contrast, means that the next two carbon atoms are bound to opposite sides of the double bond. As a result, they don't cause the chain to bend much, and their shape is similar to straight saturated fatty acids.

In most naturally occurring unsaturated fatty acids, each double bond has 3n carbon atoms after it, for some n, and all are cis bonds. Most fatty acids in the trans configuration (trans fats) are not found in nature and are the result of human processing (eg, hydrogenation).

The differences in geometry between the various types of unsaturated fatty acids, as well as between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, play an important role is biological processes, and in the construction of biological structures (such as cell membranes).
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Nomenclature

There are two different ways to make clear where the double bonds are located in molecules. For example:
cis/trans-Delta-x or cis/trans-Δx: The double bond is located on the xth carbon-carbon bond, counting from the carboxyl terminus. The cis or trans notation indicates whether the molecule is arranged in a cis or trans conformation. In the case of a molecule having more than one double bond, the notation is, for example, cis,cis-Δ9,Δ12.
Omega-x or ω-x : A double bond is located on the xth carbon-carbon bond, counting from the ω, (methyl carbon) end of the chain. Sometimes, the symbol ω is substituted with a lowercase letter n, making it n-6 or n-3.

Examples of unsaturated fatty acids:
Oleic acid: CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7COOH or cis-Δ9 C18:1
Linoleic acid: CH3(CH2)4CH=CHCH2CH=CH(CH2)7COOH or C18:2
Alpha-linolenic acid: CH3CH2CH=CHCH2CH=CHCH2CH=CH(CH2)7COOH or C18:3
Arachidonic acid CH3(CH2)sub>4CH=CHCH2CH=CHCH2CH=CHCH2CH=CH(CH2)3COOHNIST or C20:4
Eicosapentaenoic acid or C20:5
Docosahexaenoic acid or C22:6
Erucic acid: CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)11COOH or C22:1

Alpha-linolenic, docosahexaenoic, and eicosapentaenoic acids are examples of omega-3 fatty acids. Linoleic acid and arachidonic acid are omega-6 fatty acids. Oleic and erucic acid are omega-9 fatty acids. Stearic and oleic acid are both 18 C fatty acids. They differ only in that stearic acid is saturated with hydrogen, while oleic acid is an unsaturated fatty acid with two fewer hydrogens.

Essential fatty acids
Main article: Essential fatty acid

The human body can produce all but two of the fatty acids it needs. These two, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid, are widely distributed in plant and fish oils. Since they cannot be made in the body from other substrates and must be supplied in food, they are called essential fatty acids. In the body, essential fatty acids are primarily used to produce hormone-like substances that regulate a wide range of functions, including blood pressure, blood clotting, blood lipid levels, the immune response, and the inflammation response to injury infection.

Essential fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids and are the parent compounds of the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid series, respectively. They are essential in the human diet because there is no synthetic mechanism for them. Humans can easily make saturated fatty acids or monounsaturated fatty acids with a double bond at the omega-9 position, but do not have the enzymes necessary to introduce a double bond at the omega-3 or omega-6 position.

The essential fatty acids are important in several human body systems, including the immune system and in blood pressure regulation, since they are used to make compounds such as prostaglandins. The brain has increased amounts of linolenic and alpha-linoleic acid derivatives. Changes in the levels and balance of these fatty acids due to a typical Western diet rich in omega-6 and poor in omega-9 fatty acids is alleged to be associated with depression and behavioral change, including violence. The actual connection, if any, is still under investigation. Further, changing to a more natural diet, or consumption of supplements to compensate for a dietary imbalance, has been associated with reduced violent behavior[1] and increase attention span, but the mechanisms for the effect are still unclear. So far, at least three human studies have shown results that support this: two school studies[citation needed][2] as well as a double blind study in a prison[1].[3][4]
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Trans fatty acids
Main article: Trans fat

A trans fatty acid (commonly shortened to trans fat) is an unsaturated fatty acid molecule that contains a trans double bond between carbon atoms, which makes the molecule less 'kinked' in comparison to fatty acids with cis double bonds. These bonds are characteristically produced during industrial hydrogenation of plant oils. Research suggests that increasing amounts of trans fats are, for causal reasons not well understood, correlate with circulatory diseases such as atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, than the same amount of non-trans fats.
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Free fatty acids

Fatty acids can be bound or attached to other molecules, such as in triglycerides or phospholipids. When they are not attached to other molecules, they are known as "free" fatty acids.

The uncombined fatty acids or free fatty acids may come from the breakdown of a triglyceride into its components (fatty acids and glycerol).

Free fatty acids are an important source of fuel for many tissues since they can yield relatively large quantities of ATP. Many cell types can use either glucose or fatty acids for this purpose. However, heart and skeletal muscle prefer fatty acids. On the other hand, the brain cannot use fatty acids as a source of fuel, relying instead on glucose, or on ketone bodies produced by the liver from fatty acid metabolism during starvation, or periods of low carbohydrate intake.




Water as a solvent

Water is also a good solvent due to its polarity. When an ionic or polar compound enters water, it is surrounded by water molecules. The relatively small size of water molecules typically allows many water molecules to surround one molecule of solute. The partially negative dipole ends of the water are attracted to positively charged components of the solute, and vice versa for the positive dipole ends.

In general, ionic and polar substances such as acids, alcohols, and salts are relatively soluble in water, and nonpolar substances such as fats and oils are not. Nonpolar molecules stay together in water because it is energetically more favorable for the water molecules to hydrogen bond to each other than to engage in van der Waals interactions with nonpolar molecules.

An example of an ionic solute is table salt; the sodium chloride, NaCl, separates into Na+ cations and Cl- anions, each being surrounded by water molecules. The ions are then easily transported away from their crystalline lattice into solution. An example of a nonionic solute is table sugar. The water dipoles make hydrogen bonds with the polar regions of the sugar molecule (OH groups) and allow it to be carried away into solution.

The solvent properties of water are vital in biology, because many biochemical reactions take place only within aqueous solutions (e.g., reactions in the cytoplasm and blood).