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A fatty acid with no double bonds in its hydrocarbon chain is described as saturated because:
ANo further hydrogen can be added to its carbons
BNo further oxygen can be added to its carbons
CIt has absorbed the maximum amount of water
DIt has reached the maximum possible chain length
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. No further hydrogen can be added to its carbons
1. Saturation here describes how many hydrogens the carbon chain already holds.
2. With no double bonds, every carbon carries its full complement of hydrogen.
3. No more hydrogen may be added to the carbon atoms of the chain, so the chain is saturated.
4. Chain length and water content are unrelated to the term.
_Source: OpenStax Biology for AP(R) Courses (CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 'Biological Macromolecules', sections 3.1-3.5_
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