ChemConnections

Fat is an important nutrient in our diets, but some dietary fats have been linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases.

Students investigate the properties of fats and oils and relate them to their triglyceride structure, gaining experience with chemical notation, polarity, thermochemistry, intermolecular forces, bond strength, cis/trans isomerism, and basic organic nomenclature. Finally, in looking at some of the fat substitutes on the market, they both justify their properties from a chemical perspective and debate their effectiveness as a part of the American diet.