Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Science & Nature / Science / Chemistry / Organic Chemistry / Difference Between Cis and Trans Fatty Acids

Difference Between Cis and Trans Fatty Acids

September 2, 2018 Posted by Madhu

The key difference between cis and trans fatty acids is that the cis fatty acids have two hydrogen atoms attached to the double bond in the same side of the carbon chain whereas the trans fatty acids have the two hydrogen atoms bonded to the double bond in the opposite sides of the carbon chain.

Fatty acids are carboxylic acids containing long aliphatic carbon chains that are either saturated or unsaturated. This means, the aliphatic chain may or may not contain double bonds between the carbon atoms. Cis and trans fatty acids are two forms of unsaturated fatty acids.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Cis Fatty Acids
3. What is Trans Fatty Acids
4. Side by Side Comparison – Cis vs Trans Fatty Acids in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Cis Fatty Acids?

Cis fatty acids are carboxylic acids containing long aliphatic carbon chains having the two hydrogen atoms attached to double bond in the same side of the carbon chain. We name this as the “cis configuration of unsaturated fatty acids”.

Since the hydrogen atoms are on the same side of the carbon chain, it causes the chain to bend. This restricts the conformational freedom of the fatty acid. If there are many double bonds in the chain, it lessens the flexibility of the chain. Moreover, if there are more cis configurations along the carbon chain, it makes the chain quite curved in its most accessible conformations. Examples include cis-oleic acid and cis-linoleic acid.

What is Trans Fatty Acids?

Trans fatty acids are carboxylic acids containing long aliphatic carbon chains having the two hydrogen atoms attached to double bond in the opposite sides of the carbon chain. Therefore, this does not cause the carbon chain to bend much.

Difference Between Cis and Trans Fatty Acids

Figure 01: Comparison of Cis and Trans Configurations of Oleic Acid

Moreover, their shape is similar to straight saturated fatty acids. The trans fatty acids are not that much common in nature as cis configuration. It forms mainly as a result of industrial production. For example, hydrogenation reactions may cause the formation of trans fatty acids.

What is the Difference Between Cis and Trans Fatty Acids?

Cis fatty acids are carboxylic acids containing long aliphatic carbon chains having the two hydrogen atoms attached to double bond in the same side of the carbon chain whereas the trans fatty acids are carboxylic acids containing long aliphatic carbon chains having the two hydrogen atoms attached to double bond in the opposite sides of the carbon chain. This is the key difference between cis and trans fatty acids. Furthermore, when considering their occurrence, cis configuration is much common in nature while the trans configuration is not common in nature. Because, the trans fatty acids mainly form as a result of different industrial processes such as hydrogenation. Moreover, another difference between cis and trans fatty acids is that the cis configuration causes the fatty acid molecule to bend while the trans configuration does not cause the molecule to bend much.

Difference Between Cis and Trans Fatty Acids in Tabular Form

Summary – Cis vs Trans Fatty Acids

Fatty acids are mainly in two types of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. We can categorize unsaturated fatty acids further, as cis and trans fatty acids. The difference between cis and trans fatty acids is that the cis fatty acids have two hydrogen atoms attached to the double bond in the same side of the carbon chain whereas the trans fatty acids have the two hydrogen atoms bonded to the double bond in the opposite sides of the carbon chain.

Reference:

1. “Fatty Acid.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Aug. 2018. Available here
2. “The Kinds of Fats.” Indiana University Bloomington, The Lilly Library, Indiana University. Available here 

Image Courtesy:

1.”Isomers of oleic acid”By Edgar181 – Own work, (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia  

Related posts:

Difference Between Position Isomerism and MetamerismDifference Between Position Isomerism and Metamerism Difference Between Friedel Crafts Acylation and AlkylationDifference Between Friedel Crafts Acylation and Alkylation Difference Between Formic Acid and Acetic Acid Difference Between Imide and AmideDifference Between Imide and Amide Difference between Alicyclic and Aromatic CompoundsDifference Between Alicyclic and Aromatic Compounds

Filed Under: Organic Chemistry

About the Author: Madhu

Madhu is a graduate in Biological Sciences with BSc (Honours) Degree and currently persuing a Masters Degree in Industrial and Environmental Chemistry. With a mind rooted firmly to basic principals of chemistry and passion for ever evolving field of industrial chemistry, she is keenly interested to be a true companion for those who seek knowledge in the subject of chemistry.

Comments

  1. Keith LaRose says

    July 13, 2020 at 12:35 pm

    I’m 66, had double bypass, no heart attack yet but bad heart & diabetes family history.
    Butter? Margarine? Good Margarine? Bad Margarine? Trans Fats?
    I now use a margarine (Smart Choice) that says it has no trans-fat.
    Looking at the ingredients, it does have monoglyceride of vegetable fatty acids.
    Are these monoglycerides of vegetable fatty acids a trans fat ???

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

Difference Between Magnetic Flux and Magnetic Flux Density

Difference Between Relative Clause and Subordinate Clause

Difference Between Relative Clause and Subordinate Clause

Difference Between Dacron and Polyester

Difference Between Dacron and Polyester

Difference Between Throughput and Bandwidth

What is the Difference Between Lead Acid and Lithium Ion Battery

What is the Difference Between Lead Acid and Lithium Ion Battery

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between Foundation and BB Cream
  • What is the Difference Between Cybrids and Hybrids
  • What is the Difference Between Hapten and Adjuvant
  • What is the Difference Between Omphalocele and Gastroschisis
  • What is the Difference Between Autonomic and Somatic Reflexes
  • What is the Difference Between Plagiocephaly and Craniosynostosis
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.