Oleic Acid

Oleic Acid

 

Olive oil or oleic acid is a triglyceride, which is the most common form of fats or lipids. This particular triglyceride, oleic acid, shaped the Roman and western civilizations and olive oil has been applied for many reasons. A triglyceride is a lipid that is formed from condensation or dehydration synthesis reactions between fatty acids and glycerol. Glycerol or propane-1,2,3-triol, is an organic compound or alcohol that contains a hydroxyl group attached to all three carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain. Glycerol serves as a backbone in triglyceride molecules. Fatty acids are lengthy hydrocarbon chains, varying in the number of carbon atoms in their molecular structure, which have a carboxyl group at the end; a carboxyl group consists of a carbonyl group and a hydroxyl group. Whenever three water molecules are removed; the hydrogen atoms are removed from the hydroxyl groups on the glycerol molecule and the hydroxyl groups are removed from the carboxyl groups from the fatty acid chains to form a triglyceride and water (HOH). There are two types of fats; saturated fats and unsaturated fats. Saturated fatty acid chains contain all of the carbon atoms bound to the maximum number of hydrogen atoms and single-bonded amongst another. Unsaturated fatty acid chains contain double bonds between certain carbon atoms and not every carbon atom is bound to a maximum number of hydrogen atoms. Monounsaturated fatty acids contain one carbon-carbon double bond and a polyunsaturated fat contains multiple carbon-carbon double bonds; the presence of a double bond does not allow the chain to pack as effectively and it is bent; which aids in the catabolism of triglycerides and the overall bonding strength and intermolecular forces of attraction are responsible for its liquid state at SATP. Saturated fats contain uniform-shaped fatty acid chains and they are solids at SATP. Oleic acid is a fatty acid that contains eight carbon atoms and one carbon-carbon double bond, making it a monounsaturated fat. Whenever a condensation reaction occurs between glycerol and oleic acid, the product is olive oil. Since the chemical reaction is occurring between a carboxylic acid and an alcohol, the product is an ester; therefore lipid anabolism and synthesis is considered an esterification reaction. An esterification reaction is a type of condensation reaction and involves the removal of a common small molecule, water. Another concern about fats is their isomeration into trans fats, which cannot be digested with any enzymes and form plaques in arteries, leading to cardiovascular disease. The ratio between high-density lipoproteins and low-density lipoproteins in certain lipids determines the effect of the fat on the serum cholesterol level; the low-density lipoproteins are water-insoluble accumulations of cholesterol, triglycerides, and proteins, which transport cholesterol from the liver into the small intestine, which elevates the amount of cholesterol floating in the bloodstream. Blood plaques induced by high serum cholesterol levels lead to cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. High-density lipoproteins transport excess cholesterol from the bloodstream into the liver for disposal. Coronary heart disease became very common when saturated fats have been introduced into Europe. Olive oil also contains traces of polyphenols and antioxidant molecules such as vitamin E and vitamin K. The cold-pressing method of obtaining olive oil retains these nutrients, which could be deactivated by higher temperatures. Vitamin E is a nutrient that is present in many lipids, which acts as a scavenger for free radicals; vitamin E is regenerated by vitamin C to eliminate an even greater amount of free radicals from the body. The hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids leads to the production of saturated fatty acids or solid triglycerides, which are more difficult to digest and contain small traces of trans-fatty acids, which pose a cardiovascular toxicity. The presence of preservatives and antioxidants in olive oil allowed the product to be transported across large distances during the olive oil trade; fertile land has been used to cultivate the product. The olive oil trade supported large empires by inducing and maintaining economic stability. However, the increasing demand for the product has not been met with a decreasing amount of agricultural land, which lead to the collapse of the Greek Empire. The olive oil tree has been found in Greece and Italy during ancient times and has been used to treat a variety of symptoms such as nausea and insomnia, represented wealth and fertility, and has been used as a food additive. Soap has also been synthesizes from triglycerides; soaps have a significant impact on civilization because they help maintain sanitary conditions and provide protection against dirt and various infection-causing bacteria from the external environment. The formation of soap first involved saponification, which involves the insertion of a base such as caustic potash or caustic soda to break up the bonds to form separate glycerol molecules and fatty acid chains. potassium soaps are soft and sodium soaps are hard and commercial production of soap occurred in England during the fourteenth century. A result of this has been a decrease in infant mortality rates due to the increased usage of soap. During the late 1700s, a French chemist, Nicolas LeBlanc, invented a cheaper production of soap by producing sodium hydroxide from common salt (sodium chloride – NaCl). This has increased the availability of soap to the public because the cost of soap has declined. Soap molecules actually clean because one end of the molecules contain hydrophilic ends that dissolve in water and other ends of the molecule, the fatty acid chains, which are lipophilic and hydrophobic, dissolve in grease, oil, and fat. The Greek Empire has served as a foundation to establish democratic societies and to influence large amounts of people in other counties, all because of the triglyceride oleic acid. Currently, olive oil is used as a flavor enhancer. Therefore, oleic acid has supported the economy of the Greek Empire, is widely used by many people as a flavor enhancer, has influenced the production of soap to maintain sanitary conditions, has facilitated various activities and expansion of society due to its effects on economic growth, and has induces a trade and monopoly that involved the large-scale production and cultivation of olive oil, the transportation of olive oil on ships over large distances, and the growth and development of human civilization, urban areas, and the economy across Europe and different parts of the world.