The most unsaturated fatty acid is

Options

A. Linoleic acid
B. Oleic acid
C. Linolenic acid
D. Arachidonic acid

Answer

To determine the most unsaturated fatty acid among the options provided, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Structure of Fatty Acids
Fatty acids are composed of a long hydrocarbon chain (tail) and a terminal carboxyl group (head). The presence of double or triple bonds in the hydrocarbon chain indicates that the fatty acid is unsaturated.

**Hint:** Remember that unsaturated fatty acids contain double or triple bonds, which allow for the addition of more hydrogen atoms.

### Step 2: Classify Fatty Acids
Fatty acids can be classified into two categories:
- **Saturated fatty acids:** Contain only single bonds between carbon atoms.
- **Unsaturated fatty acids:** Contain one or more double or triple bonds.

**Hint:** Identify whether the fatty acids in question have single or double bonds to classify them correctly.

### Step 3: Identify the Unsaturated Fatty Acids
From the options given:
- **Oleic acid:** Contains one double bond.
- **Linoleic acid:** Contains two double bonds.
- **Arachidonic acid:** Contains four double bonds.

**Hint:** Count the number of double bonds in each fatty acid to determine their level of unsaturation.

### Step 4: Compare the Number of Double Bonds
The more double bonds a fatty acid has, the more unsaturated it is.
- Oleic acid has 1 double bond.
- Linoleic acid has 2 double bonds.
- Arachidonic acid has 4 double bonds.

**Hint:** The fatty acid with the highest number of double bonds will be the most unsaturated.

### Step 5: Conclusion
Since arachidonic acid has the highest number of double bonds (4), it is the most unsaturated fatty acid among the options provided.

**Final Answer:** The most unsaturated fatty acid is **arachidonic acid**.