answersLogoWhite

0

If a tail is "unsaturated," some or all of the carbons are not bonded to the maximum number of hydrogens possible, due to double bonds. These double bonds create "kinks" in the tails; in other words, it is not a straight carbon chain. This gives rise to the ability for the lipid to have a lower freezing point because the tails don't "pack" together.

This is especially important in the phospholipid bilayer of a plasma membrane. Unicellular organisms which inhabit colder-temperate climates are more likely to have unsaturated phospholipid tails. The "kinks" in the tails prevent the fluid membrane from freezing during the colder months.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Biology

What is polyunsaturated fat?

It is a fatty acid lipid [Lipids are Oils from Plant sources and Fats from Animal sources] that contains more than one [unsaturating] -C=C- double bond.Saturation, in this instance, refers to the state where all potential Carbon sites of double bond formation are taken by hydrogen atoms.


What do biologists use to cut DNA into smaller fragments?

A restriction enzyme (or restriction endonuclease) is an enzyme that cuts double-stranded or single stranded DNA at specific recognition nucleotide sequences called restriction sites.


What is linker in recombinant DNA technology?

In recombinant DNA technology, a linker is a short, double-stranded DNA sequence that contains restriction sites for cloning DNA fragments. Linkers are used to join different DNA fragments together by ligating them into the restriction sites within the linker, allowing for the creation of chimeric DNA molecules.


What is the action of pancreatic trypsin on protein?

Pancreatic trypsin acts to break down proteins into smaller peptides by cleaving peptide bonds at specific sites. It specifically targets peptide bonds involving the amino acids lysine and arginine. This process is crucial for protein digestion and absorption of amino acids in the small intestine.


What are the differences between single digest and double digest methods in molecular biology?

Single digest and double digest methods are techniques used in molecular biology to cut DNA into smaller fragments for analysis. In single digest, one restriction enzyme is used to cut the DNA at specific recognition sites, resulting in fragments of varying sizes. In double digest, two different restriction enzymes are used sequentially to cut the DNA at two different recognition sites, resulting in smaller and more precise fragments. Overall, double digest methods provide more detailed and accurate information about the DNA sequence compared to single digest methods.

Related Questions

What is a fat with no carbon-carbon double bonds called?

Saturated. This is because with no carbon-carbon double bonds the bonding sites are taken up by hydrogen, thus saturated. These saturated fats are solider tha unsaturated fats containing carbon-carbon double bonds.


What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated bonds?

If a compound is saturated, this means that every bonding site is occupied by an element or an electron pair, and the compound doesn't want any more bonds. For example, saturated fats are hard to break down because there are no bonding sites. If a compound is unsaturated, this means it can still make bonds because open bonding sites are readily available. For an individual bond to be saturated, it can only be a SINGLE bond. Double, or triple bonds are not considered saturated.


What is the difference in saturated and unsaturated fats?

Fats are made out of fatty acids and glycerol. Fatty acid = alkyl group ( long carbon chain basically) plus a carboxyl group but thats not the improtant part. Fatty acids can undergo dehydration with glycerol to make a triglyceride which is the conventional fat in foods and stuff etc. There difference between saturated and unsaturated fats is the long carbon chain. The long carbon chain which can have double bonds or not. A double bond decreases the maximum number of hydrogen atoms joined to the carbon atoms so they dont have the most hydrogen atoms a they could do so they are unsaturated. Satured = no double bonds.


Why ethanol cannot react with bromine water?

Ethanol does not react with bromine water because it lacks enough unsaturation or pi bonds in its molecular structure to undergo a bromination reaction. Bromine water typically reacts with compounds containing carbon-carbon double bonds (alkenes) or aromatic rings that can participate in electrophilic addition reactions with bromine. Ethanol, being a simple alcohol, does not possess these reactive sites for bromination to occur.


What kind of bonding is necessary to produce a saturated fatty-acid?

Saturated fatty acids are bonded together by single covalent bonds between carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain, with hydrogen atoms saturating the available bonding sites. This leads to a fully saturated structure without any double bonds between the carbon atoms.


Why do saturated aliphatic compounds have single bonds?

Saturated aliphatic compounds have single bonds because all carbon atoms in the molecule are connected by single covalent bonds, resulting in each carbon atom having four single bonds and being saturated with hydrogen atoms. The lack of double or triple bonds between the carbon atoms allows the molecule to be more stable and less reactive compared to unsaturated compounds.


What process is used to convert an unsaturated fatty acid into a saturated fatty acid?

Hydrogenation. This involved the forcing of hydrogen molecules into an unsaturated fat molecule which then causes it to be "saturated" with hydrogen atoms. This breaks the double bonds which gave the fat its bent shape and as a result hydrogenated fats are not chemically equivalent to natural saturated fats.This is why trans fat has been found to be much worse than natural saturated fat.


What is polyunsaturated fat?

It is a fatty acid lipid [Lipids are Oils from Plant sources and Fats from Animal sources] that contains more than one [unsaturating] -C=C- double bond.Saturation, in this instance, refers to the state where all potential Carbon sites of double bond formation are taken by hydrogen atoms.


What is more susceptible to reduction the double bond or the triple bond?

A triple bond is typically more susceptible to reduction than a double bond because it has more potential sites for gaining electrons. Triple bonds are held together by three shared pairs of electrons, making it easier to break and reduce compared to double bonds which have only two shared pairs of electrons.


How can I get information about investing in bonds?

A person can get information about investing in bonds from many sources and websites online. Such information can be found on sites like Investing in Bonds, CNN Money and Wiki How.


Where can you purchase surety bonds?

You can purchase surety bonds online at sites like nation wide bonds, bond express, and JW surety bonds. You can also purchase them from banks and many surety bond agencies.


Who provides auto dealer bonds?

If one is looking for auto dealer bonds, there are several sites online that provide this service. Ameribonds, JW Surety Bonds, BondsExpress, and SuretyBonds, are just a to name a few.