How do you determine the #alpha# and #omega# ends in fatty acids? How do we get the #alpha# and #omega# series? And are MUFA's non-essential fatty acids?
1 Answer
Explanation:
Fatty acids have two "ends"; the carboxylic acid (COOH) group is on one end, and this carbon is designated as the
We name unsaturated fatty acids (fatty acids with double bonds in the carbon backbone chain) according to the position of the double bonds... so an omega-3 fatty acid would have a double bond at the 3 carbon from the methyl (omega) end.
The following is pasted from another answer on Socratic, in response to the same question about MUFAs:
MUFAs are all non-essential fatty acids, as are most fatty acids
An essential nutrient is one that the body cannot make itself, which is required for normal biological function... in this case, essential fatty acids are fatty acids that must be taken in from other sources (food) in order for the body to stay in good health.
For humans, there are only two fatty acids that are considered essential: linoleic acid and alpha-linoleic acid. These are both polyunsaturated fatty acids... when we refer to a fatty acid as "unsaturated", we're talking about the number of double bonds in the carbon chain of the fatty acid. Monounsaturated fatty acids have only a single double bond. Polyunsaturated fatty acids have more than one. Saturated fatty acids have none.
So, since there are only two essential fatty acids, and they're both polyunsaturated fatty acids, we can safely say that MUFAs are non-essential
