Compared with the melting point of a saturated fatty acid, the melting point of a fatty acid with 2 double bonds will be:
A) Higher than
B) Lower than
C) Twice as high
D) Twice as low
E) The same

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Fatty acids with double bonds (unsaturated) have lower melting points than saturated fatty acids because the double bonds introduce kinks in the fatty acid chains, preventing them from packing closely together, which decreases the intermolecular forces and thus lowers the melting point.

Compared with the Melting Point of a Saturated Fatty Acid