Why Are Fatty Acids Classified as Acids Despite Producing OH- Ions?

[donaldcat]

Three fatty acid, when condense with glycerol, they donate or give out their OH- ions and combine with the H+ ions to form water and fat molecule. According to my chemistry teacher, an acid is a covalent molecular compound, which when dissolved in water, forms hydrogen ions H+ (aq). As fatty acid forms OH- when dissolved in water, why it is called as an acid but not an alkaline?

 

[Ouabache]

Three fatty acid, when condense with glycerol, they donate or give out their OH- ions and combine with the H+ ions to form water and fat molecule.

Actually, it is the carboxylic group -COOH that gives the acidity to http://www.biology.lsu.edu/introbio/Link2/fatty%20acids.gif on a fatty acid, with dissociate into H+ and COO- making the solution acidic. This conforms to your teacher's definiton of an acid.

When fat synthesis occurs, the fatty acids each do contribuite an OH- and the glycerol 3 H+ to form a fat molecule.