Question

Caprylic acid is an $8$-carbon saturated fatty acid that occurs in coconut oil $(10\%)$and palm kernel oil $(4\%)$. Draw the line-angle formula for glyceryl tricaprylate (tricaprylin).

Short answer

Coconut oil and palm kernel oil contain caprylic acid, an eight-carbon saturated fatty acid.

Step-by-step solution

Sep 1:Introduction

• Lipids are hydrophobic esters of intermediate to long-chain fatty acids.
• Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids are the two forms of fatty acids.
• Unsaturated fatty acids have a long chain of carboxylic acids with double or triple bonds in their structure.
• The fatty acid chain is said to be saturated when it contains all of the single bonds in its structure.

Explanation

• Fats, waxes, sterols, and triglycerides are examples of naturally occurring lipids.
• Triglycerides are lipids that have glycerol linked to three fatty acids.
• Fats and oils are examples of triglycerides.
• Long, unbranched carbon chains with a carboxylic acid group at one end make up fatty acids.
• Unsaturated fatty acids have one or more carbon-carbon double bonds, whereas saturated fatty acids have only single carbon-carbon bonds.

Determine the line-angle formula for glyceryl tricaprylate (tricaprylin). 

• Coconut oil and palm kernel oil contain caprylic acid, an 8-carbon saturated fatty acid.
• Glyceryl tricaprylate (tricaprylin) has the following line-angle formula: