Question

Arachidonic acid and palmitic acids have how many carbons in each of them.
A)16, 16
B)16, 20
C)20, 16
D)18, 16

Answer 1

Hint: The ones that have one or two C=C present are unsaturated fatty acids. Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) have one C=C present like in Palmitic acid while Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have many C=C and are those fatty acids which have backbone comprises more than one double bond.

Complete answer:
The 20 carbon fatty acid is arachidonic acid. It is an example of the polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid in liver, brain, and muscle cells present in the phospholipid.
Palmitic acids have a carbon number of 16 and are most commonly present in microorganisms, plants and animals.

The arachidonic acid is an example of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) which is found in the phospholipids like phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositides of cell membranes. It is abundantly found in the muscles, brain, and liver.

The palmitic acid is found as a major part of palm oil.
The diets which are rich in saturated fats as well as trans fat are known to increase cholesterol levels, and clog the arteries which block flow of oxygen-rich blood into organs like heart and brain.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C)

Note: There are only two fatty acids which are essential for humans namely, linolenic acid and linoleic acid. There are some conditionally essential fatty acids as well which can be essential like docosahexaenoic acid and gamma-linolenic acid.