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Biochemistry & Polymer Chemistry

Unsaturated Fat

A fat containing one or more carbon–carbon double bonds in its fatty acid chains.

Unit Dimensionless

In depth

Cis double bonds introduce a permanent kink that prevents close packing, lowering the melting point and making these fats liquid oils. They decolourise bromine water, and partial hydrogenation to harden them produces trans fats, which behave nutritionally like saturated ones.

Examples in the real world

Olive oil as monounsaturated; sunflower oil as polyunsaturated; margarine made by hydrogenating vegetable oil.