Omega 3 Fatty Acids Chemical Structure

Omega 3 fatty acids.

Omega 3 fatty acids chemical structure. The term polyunsaturated refers to their chemical structure as poly means many and unsaturated. Pufa can be classified into various groups by their chemical structure in omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids also called omega 3 oils ω 3 fatty acids or n 3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids pufas characterized by the presence of a double bond three atoms away from the terminal methyl group in their chemical structure. This means a chain of 18 carbons with 3 double bonds on carbons run to 9 12 and 15.

Omega 3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats a type of fat your body can t make. Those polyunsaturated fatty acids which are characterized by the presence of a carbon carbon double at the three atoms away from the terminal ch 3 methyl group in their carbon atom chain are called omega 3 fatty acids. The chemical names of omega 3 fatty acids are omega 3 fatty acids n 3 polyunsaturated fatty. Ala is an essential omega 3 fatty acid that denotes as 18 3δ9c 12c and 15c.

The omega 3 fatty acids are long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids ranging from 18 to 22 carbon atoms in chain length with the first of many double bonds beginning at the third carbon upon counting from the methyl end of the fatty acid structure. Omega 6s are also polyunsaturated fatty acids but have a different chemical structure. Although chemists count from the carbonyl carbon indicate in blue numbering biologists and nutritionist count from the n ω carbon. The fatty acids have two ends the carboxylic acid cooh end which is considered the beginning of the chain thus alpha and the methyl ch 3 end which is considered the tail of the chain thus omega.

Many animals cannot synthesize linoleic acid an omega 6 fatty acid and alpha linolenic acid an omega 3 fatty acid. The four types of omega 6 fats include arachidonic acid ara linoleic acid la gamma linoleic acid gla and conjugated linoleic acid cla. Thus because they must be taken in through the diet they are called essential fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids play a vital role in human physiology and lipid metabolism in animals.

They are widely distributed in nature being important constituents of animal lipid metabolism and they play an important role in the human. The omega 3 pufa also called ω 3 fatty acids or n 3 fatty acids refers to a group of pufa in which the first double bond is 3 carbons from the end omega carbon atom of the molecule. The omega 6 also referred to as ω 6 fatty acids or. Omega 3 fatty acids c60h92o6 cid 56842239 structure chemical names physical and chemical properties classification patents literature biological.

What are omega 3 fatty acids.