Which fatty acid would have the lowest melting point?Question 8Answera.Linolenic acidb.Myristic acidc.Palmitic acidd.Linoleic acidClear my choice

The fatty acid with the lowest melting point would be Linolenic acid.

Here's why:

Fatty acids are long chains of hydrocarbons ending in a carboxyl group. The melting point of fatty acids is determined by the length of the carbon chain and the number of double bonds.

1. Length of the carbon chain: The longer the carbon chain, the higher the melting point. This is because longer chains have more surface area that can be in contact with each other, leading to more van der Waals forces (a type of intermolecular force) between the chains. More forces mean more energy is required to break them, leading to a higher melting point.

2. Number of double bonds: The more double bonds in the fatty acid, the lower the melting point. This is because double bonds introduce kinks into the fatty acid chain, preventing the chains from packing together as tightly. This reduces the number of van der Waals forces and lowers the melting point.

Among the options given, Linolenic acid has the most double bonds (3 double bonds) and is not the longest chain