Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!rpi!jdh From: jdh@pawl.rpi.edu (Joseph Herrenkohl) Newsgroups: sci.bio Subject: Re: Omega-3 fatty acids Summary: fatty acid nomenclature - delta vs. omega Keywords: unsaturated fatty acids Message-ID: <25773343.1707@rpi.edu> Date: 2 Dec 89 02:28:18 GMT References: <859@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM> <3531@kitty.UUCP> Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY Lines: 25 In article <3531@kitty.UUCP> larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) writes: >In article <859@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM>, dant@mrloog.WR.TEK.COM (Dan Tilque) writes: >> Does anyone know the origin of the name "omega-3 fatty acids"? Somewhere >> I heard that the name derives from the shape of the molecule. If that's >> so, is the molecule shaped like three omegas or like an omega and a 3? > > I've not encountered the term "omega-3 fatty acid", or anything >similar. If you could give me a more specific clue as to the type of >fatty acid, it may jog my memory. > > ><> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. - Uniquex Corp. - Viatran Corp. ><> UUCP {allegra|boulder|decvax|rutgers|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry ><> TEL 716/688-1231 | 716/773-1700 {hplabs|utzoo|uunet}!/ \uniquex!larry ><> FAX 716/741-9635 | 716/773-2488 "Have you hugged your cat today?" The symbol omega refers to the position of a double bond in unsaturated fatty acids. Usually the numbering scheme is based on the carboxyl group and the position(s) of the double bond(s) are indicated by the superscript delta. However an alternative (archaic?) scheme numbers from the terminal methyl carbon - the position is then indicated by omega. For example, linoleic acid is (delta)9,12-octadecadienoic acid or (omega)6,9- octadecadienoic acid. Joseph Herrenkohl Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com