esters of fatty acid

What do you mean by esters of fatty acid?

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If you guys confused about this question, what do you mean by esters of fatty acid? you can read this article.

At first, I will describe about fatty acid then I will describe about what is esters in fatty acid.

What are fatty acids?

They are the simplest form of lipids. These contains carboxylic acids with hydrocarbon side chain. The ultimate definition of fatty acids is, these are molecules in fats and oils, composed of a hydrocarbon chain with a carboxyl group (COOH). The general structure of fatty acid is,

CH3​−(CH2​)n​−COOH

In this formula:

  • CH3CH3​ represents a methyl group.
  • CH2CH2​ represents a methylene group.
  • n represents the number of methylene units in the hydrocarbon chain.
  • The carboxyl group (COOH) is the functional group that gives fatty acids their acidic properties.

Fatty acids can be saturated or unsaturated. Saturated fatty acids have only single bonds. Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more double bonds.

Now I will talk about esters.

What are esters?

Esters are chemical compounds which are produce from the reaction between an acid and an alcohol. The definition of esters is these are the chemical compounds formed by the reaction between an acid and an alcohol. Esters are found in fruits, flowers and essential oils. An ester must contain at least one hydroxyl group in structure.

Esters are commonly formed through a reaction called esterification. This esterification occurs due to the combination of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. The general reaction is:

Carboxylic Acid +Alcohol → Ester + Water

For example, the esterification of acetic acid (a carboxylic acid) and ethanol (an alcohol) produces ethyl acetate,

CH3​-COOH (acetic acid) +C2​H5​OH (ethanol) → CH3​COOC2​H5 (ester) ​+H2​O

Esters of fatty acids

Previously I talked about fatty acid. Fatty acids contain at least one carboxylic group in structure. So, when a fatty acid reacts with an alcohol then it called as ester of fatty acid.

For better understanding, esters of fatty acids are the chemical compounds formed by the reaction between a fatty acid and an alcohol. Fatty acids are present in fats and oils. Fatty acids consist of a hydrocarbon chain with a carboxyl group (COOH) at one end.

When a fatty acid reacts with an alcohol, the carboxyl group of the fatty acid combines with the hydroxyl group of the alcohol and for an ester. This reaction is known as esterification.

R-COOH (fatty acid) + R’-OH ​(alcohol) → R-COO-R’ (esters) + H2​O

I think you guys got my point. Thank you for your valuable time. Also read What can you do with a biochemistry degree?

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