Fatty acid facts for kids
A fatty acid is a carboxylic acid (-C(=O)OH), with a long unbranched hydrocarbon tail. It is studied in organic chemistry and biochemistry.
Fatty acids are important sources of body fuel. When metabolized, they yield large quantities of ATP. Many cell types can use either glucose or fatty acids for this purpose. In particular, heart and skeletal muscle prefer fatty acids.
Fatty acids may be either saturated or unsaturated. Unsaturated compounds have reactive double bonds; saturated ones do not.
Fatty acids are aliphatic monocarboxylic acids derived from, or contained in, an animal or vegetable fat, oil, or wax. Natural fatty acids commonly have a chain of four to 28 carbon atoms (usually unbranched and even numbered), which may be saturated or unsaturated. This would include acetic acid, although this is not usually considered a fatty acid (not a lipid).
The blend of fatty acids in mammalian skin, together with lactic acid and pyruvic acid, are distinctive. They allow animals with a keen sense of smell to identify individuals.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Three-dimensional representations of several fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids have perfectly straight chain structure. Unsaturated ones are typically bent, unless they have a trans configuration.
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Comparison of the trans isomer Elaidic acid (top) and the cis isomer oleic acid (bottom).
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Numbering of carbon atoms. The systematic (IUPAC) C-x numbers are in blue. The omega-minus "ω−x" labels are in red. The Greek letter labels are in green. Note that unsaturated fatty acids with a cis configuration are actually "kinked" rather than straight as shown here.
See also
In Spanish: Ácido graso para niños
