How many isomers,including stereoisomers,exist for the triacylglycerol which,on saponification,gives 2 molar equivalents of palmitate and 1 molar equivalent of stearate?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The given information indicates that the triacylglycerol contains two palmitate (16 carbons) and one stearate (18 carbons) fatty acid chains. To determine the number of isomers, we need to consider the different possibilities of arranging the fatty acids on the glycerol backbone.

We can represent the triacylglycerol as:

O=C(OC[C@H](OC(=O)CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC)COC(=O)CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC)COC(=O)CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

where the '@' symbol denotes a chiral center.

Upon careful analysis, we can infer that there are three possible isomers, each having one chiral center. These isomers are as follow:

1. 1-palmitate, 2-palmitate, 3-stearate
2. 1-palmitate, 2-stearate, 3-palmitate
3. 1-stearate, 2-palmitate, 3-palmitate

Therefore, the total number of isomers is 3, which is option C.

How Many Isomers,including Stereoisomers,exist for the Triacylglycerol Which,on Saponification,gives 2