The basic elements of life: fatty acids

Omega 3 fatty acids

In science fiction books or in some scientific definition one sometimes hears the statement that"we are carbon-based life forms" or"on earth life is carbon-based." In fact, this element, which is widely distributed in nature, is the basis of many materials, from graphite to diamond via petroleum, and binds easily with other elements, so that there are more than 10 million carbon compounds in nature. It is also the basis of the exchange between oxygen and carbon dioxide (precisely) that powers chlorophyll photosynthesis and almost everything we studied in chemistry in compulsory school.

For those who are saturated with fat talk-let's have clarity

One point where we rarely get to in school, however, is that of the composition of cells. Since we are organisms made of cells, however, we might be interested in the fact that the constituent of cell membranes (the "skin" or "lining" of cells) is made of carbon combined with hydrogen and a dash of oxygen. In particular, the combination that interests us is the one that goes by the name of "fatty acid," which is nothing more than the basic building block of fats, or lipids, which is one of the 4 naturally occurring organic compounds.

Fatty acids are the constituents of almost all lipids, that is, all animal and vegetable fats. A fat is made up of fatty acids somewhat like ants secrete formic acid and in milk there are lactobacilli (science and imagination, what a combo!). Fatty acids are unsaturated when they have a double carbon bond. Not that the chemical formula is very important, although it can be found on various Internet pages, but the fact is that they change their properties a bit, as we will see in future installments. For now, suffice it to know that some fats are said to be unsaturated because a hydrogen can be squeezed in between the two carbon bonds. When, on the other hand, as much hydrogen as possible has already slipped in (and then there are no double bonds between carbon molecules) then they are called saturated. And since at this point we too are a bit saturated, all that remains is to wish you a fat day.