What are the similarities exist between the fossil fuel molecules and the food molecules?
1 Answer
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Explanation:
Fossil Fuel molecules are mostly hydrocarbons. Long chains of carbon with lots of H atoms on the.
The carbon chains can get very long.
These compounds are similar to a Fat (Similar to the energy storing part of a fat). Simple triglyceride fats have a glycerol group (3 carbons, 3 OH groups), and then three ester bonds (COOC) bonds. Connected to each ester bond is a long chain of Carbons and Hydrogens just like above.
In a fossil fuel, it is the oxidation of Carbon to
When you eat Fats, the body does the same oxidation process and you exhale carbon dioxide. You get the most energy out (per carbon unit) from fats, since they have a large change in their oxidation. So Hydrocarbons are similar to fats in structure and energy storage.
Hydrocarbons also hate water (hydrophobic), and so does the long fatty acid chain of phospholipids that make up cell membranes. So the water hating component of hydrocarbons is similar to the water hating part of lipid bilayers.
One more thing. If you put a little hydrocarbon oil on the surface of water and mix it up, you'll get tiny droplets of oil...that will eventually converge back into a bigger clump of oil. This happens because the oil HATES the water, and when it is in tiny droplets, there is a lot of surface area. When it clumps up, there is less surface area, and so then less of them have to be near water.
- This process is the same conceptual idea that causes proteins to fold up into a 3D structure. Certain amino acid side chains HATE water, and they fold into the middle to get out of water. It is called the Hydrophobic Effect, and it is the main driver of protein folding.
