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Baffled by some of the words? Check out the Key terms page 

Clinical Obesity 

overweight to a degree which causes medical complications

 Unsaturated fatty acids can be -cis or -trans isomers.

KEY CONCEPT: 

TABLE OF COMPARISON 1  

Cis-isomers - what are they? 

In organic chemistry, cis-trans isomerism /geometric isomerism /configuration isomerism or E-Z isomerism are all  variations of stereoisomerism. They describe the structure of functional groups exisiting inside molecules.

 

GENERALLY; isomers like these consist of DOUBLE BONDS. These double bonds are unable to rotate...

 

 

HOWEVER, they can come out from ring structures, when the rotation of the bonds is strictly prevented. 

Trans- isomers - what are they? 

A trans isomer is an isomerwhere the functional groups appear on opposite sides of the double bond.

Trans isomers are identified by adding trans- to the front of the molecule's name.

Example: The trans isomer of dichloroethene (see picture) is written astrans-dichloroethene.

isomers - what are they? 

Any two molecules with the same molecular formula but a different arrangement of molecular groups.
 

unsaturated fatty acids can be either cis isomers or trans isomers ! 

TABLE OF COMPARISON 2

Cis fats are benefical

promote good chlosterol 

Trans fats are harmful 

harmful to cardiovascular heath 

IN PARTICULAR, the sources whch originate from sources which are unnatural 

 

EXAMPLES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO: 

 

hydrogenated oils which are found in processed foods. 

 

Video on structure of Cis and Trans 

trans or cis isomers?

Trans or cis isomer of a Linolenic Acid? 

Comparison in brief 

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