🚀 go-pugleaf

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