The chain of carbon atoms bonded to as many hydrogens as possible with no double bonds describes which type of fat?

• A. Monounsaturated fats
• B. Trans fats
• C. Polyunsaturated fats
• D. Saturated fats

Answer: (D)

This describes saturated fats. When every carbon in the fatty acid chain is bound to as many hydrogens as possible and there are no double bonds, the chain is fully hydrogenated. The absence of double bonds allows the chains to pack tightly, making these fats solid at room temperature. In contrast, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats have one or more double bonds (causing kinks that prevent tight packing and keep them liquid at room temperature), and trans fats are unsaturated fats with double bonds arranged in a way that can resemble a straighter chain but still don’t have maximum hydrogens.