Question:medium

Excluding the carboxyl carbon, identify the number of carbon present in the Arachidonic acid and palmitic acid respectively.

Show Hint

Palmitic acid is saturated (16C), while Arachidonic acid is polyunsaturated (20C).
Updated On: Jun 10, 2026
  • F, I
  • E, D
  • B, A
  • C, E
Show Solution

The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understand fatty acids.
A fatty acid is a long carbon chain with a carboxyl group ($-COOH$) at one end. Each fatty acid has a fixed number of carbon atoms.

Step 2: Recall arachidonic acid.
Arachidonic acid is a 20-carbon fatty acid. So its total carbon count is 20.

Step 3: Recall palmitic acid.
Palmitic acid is a 16-carbon fatty acid. So its total carbon count is 16.

Step 4: Read the question coding.
The question pairs each acid with a coded letter standing for its carbon number. Here the code B stands for 20 carbons and A stands for 16 carbons, matching arachidonic acid and palmitic acid in that order.

Step 5: Match to the option.
So arachidonic acid maps to B and palmitic acid maps to A. The option that gives this pair is B, A.

Step 6: Conclude.
Following the carbon counts and the given coding, the correct pairing is B, A.
\[ \boxed{\text{B, A}} \]
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