Cis Vs Trans Fat Structure

Cis vs trans fat structure A trans bond creates a straight chain whereas a cis bond results in a chain that is bent.

Cis vs trans fat structure. Cis trans isomerism also known as geometric isomerism or configurational isomerism is a term used in organic chemistry. Trans fats may be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Trans fats are unsaturated fats with trans double bonds instead of cis bonds. In the context of chemistry cis indicates that the functional groups are on the same side of the carbon chain 1 while.

Trans fats have a similar shape to saturated fats so many of the physical. If you layered these fat molecules on top of one another there would be much less attraction between cis fats. In trans configuration the carbon chain extends from opposite sides of the double bond whereas in cis configuration the carbon chain extends from the same side of the double bond. Now the suggested molecular mechanism behind the health risks associated with trans fatty acids has to do with a property of the cell s membrane called membrane fluidity.

The key difference between cis and trans fatty acids is that the cis fatty acids have two hydrogen atoms attached to the double bond in the same side of the carbon chain whereas the trans fatty acids have the two hydrogen atoms bonded to the double bond in the opposite sides of the carbon chain. Trans oleic acid shown above is a linear molecule as compared to oleic acid s monounsaturated cis form found that occurs naturally in various animal and vegetable fats and oils. A double bond may exhibit one of two possible configurations. A trans fatty acid is more or less a straight line whereas the cis fatty acid has a noticeable kink at the point of the double bond.

The type of bond affects the shape of the fatty acid chain. The top molecule is the more contorted cis fat and the bottom molecule the trans fat. The prefixes cis and trans are from latin. The cis molecule is bent.

Cis fats are the typical form of unsaturated fat found in nature while trans fats are made through hydrogenation. Here is a diagram to illustrate the difference in the shape of a cis and trans fat. In the cis configuration the carbon chain extends from the same side of the double bond making the molecule bend.