What kind of molecule is represented by the structure below?
`CH_(3)CH_(2)CH_(2)CH_(2)CH=CHCH_(2)CH_(2)CH_(2)CH_(2)CH_(2)CH_(2)CH_(2)COOH`

Options

A. a sugar
B. an unsaturated fatty acid
C. a saturated fatty acid
D. a disaccharide

Answer

To determine the type of molecule represented by the given structure `CH3CH2CH2CH2CH=CHCH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2COOH`, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Analyze the Structure
The structure provided has a long carbon chain with a carboxylic acid group (-COOH) at one end.

### Step 2: Identify Functional Groups
The presence of the -COOH group indicates that this molecule is an acid. Specifically, it is a fatty acid since it has a long hydrocarbon chain and a carboxylic acid functional group.

### Step 3: Check for Saturation
Next, we observe that there is a double bond (C=C) present in the carbon chain. This indicates that the fatty acid is unsaturated because unsaturated fatty acids contain one or more double bonds in their hydrocarbon chain.

### Step 4: Classify the Molecule
Given the presence of the carboxylic acid group and the double bond, we can classify this molecule as an unsaturated fatty acid.

### Conclusion
The molecule represented by the structure is an **unsaturated fatty acid**.

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