CHED 230 |
| Our analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME's) in introductory organic chemistry laboratory has focused on three sources of fats and oils: lard, soybean oil and partially hydrogenated soybean oil. FAME's from these three sources are analyzed by isothermal capillary GC. Students assign individual peaks in the chromatograms using web-based characterizations of the fatty acid constituents of lard and soybean oil. Equations for the hydrogenation reactions are developed. Evidence of the isomerization of cis- to trans-fatty acid is complicated by the difficulty of their chromatographic separation. However, the current nutritional attention to the presence of trans-fats in foods has created special interest in the results. |
|
Undergraduate Research Poster Session
2:30 PM-4:30 PM, Monday, August 20, 2007 BCEC -- Exhibit Hall - B2, Poster
Division of Chemical Education |