Coconut oil contains a mixture of compounds - Scottish Highers Chemistry - Question 4 - 2023
Question 4
Coconut oil contains a mixture of compounds.
(a) Propyl octanoate is a compound found in coconut oil.
(i) Name the functional group in propyl octanoate.
(ii) Draw... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Coconut oil contains a mixture of compounds - Scottish Highers Chemistry - Question 4 - 2023
Step 1
Name the functional group in propyl octanoate.
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Answer
The functional group in propyl octanoate is an ester functional group, denoted by the structure -COO-.
Step 2
Draw a structural formula for the carboxylic acid formed by hydrolysis of propyl octanoate.
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Answer
The structural formula for the carboxylic acid formed by the hydrolysis of propyl octanoate is:
H O
| //
H - C - C - H
| \
H O - H
This represents octanoic acid (also known as caprylic acid).
Step 3
Suggest a name for the other product.
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Answer
The other product formed from the hydrolysis of the isomer of propyl octanoate, which produces butanoic acid, is likely to be propanoic acid.
Step 4
Using the graph and the information in the table, predict the number of carbons in glyceryl trilaurate.
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Answer
From the graph, glyceryl trilaurate corresponds to a retention time where the number of carbons can be inferred. Given that it is the ester of lauric acid (C12), it has a total of 36 carbons (C36H70O6).
Step 5
Identify the compound listed in the table which is the most unsaturated.
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Answer
Glyceryl trilinoleate is the most unsaturated compound listed in the table as it contains multiple double bonds in its fatty acid chains.
Step 6
State how emulsifiers are made from edible oils.
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Answer
Emulsifiers are made from edible oils through a process called esterification, where fatty acids are reacted with glycerol to form glycerides.
Step 7
Explain fully how emulsifiers prevent non-polar and polar liquids from separating into layers.
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Emulsifiers consist of molecules that have both hydrophilic (polar) and hydrophobic (non-polar) parts. They reduce the surface tension between water (polar) and oil (non-polar) by allowing the non-polar tails to mix with oil and the polar heads to interact with water, thus stabilizing the mixture and preventing separation into layers.
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