Question 1
How do cis- and trans-fats differ?Question 2
What is the difference between an a-glycosidic linkage and a b-glycosidic linkage? What implication does this have for the strength of the intermolecular forces between molecules?Answer 1
Since trans double-bond-containing molecules are more linear than cis double-bond-containing molecules they will have stronger dispersion forces. Therefore, the trans fats will have similar melting points to those of saturated fats and higher melting points than those of cis fats.Answer 2
The a-glycosidic linkage in starches cause the oxygen linkages to lie out of the plane of the rest of the molecule. The b-glycosidic linkages in cellulose have the connecting oxygens lying in the plane of the rest of the molecule. Therefore, the b-glycosidic linkages do not disrupt the intermolecular interactions between molecules and form a stronger structure than a-glycosidic linkages.