alleryStart learning →What are waxes made of?
ALong fatty acid chains bonded to a glycerol backbone
BLong fatty acid chains linked to a phosphate group
CFour fused carbon rings carrying a short hydrocarbon tail
DLong fatty acid chains esterified to long-chain alcohols
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Long fatty acid chains esterified to long-chain alcohols
1. Waxes cover the feathers of some aquatic birds and the leaf surfaces of some plants.
2. They are made of long fatty acid chains esterified to long-chain alcohols.
3. Because waxes are hydrophobic, they prevent water from sticking to the surface.
4. Fatty acids on a glycerol backbone would describe a fat rather than a wax.
5. Four fused carbon rings describe a steroid, which is a different lipid group again.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 "Biological Macromolecules", section 3.3 Lipids_
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