Question

Contrary to popular belief, camels do not store water in their humps, which actually consist of large fat deposits. Through oxidation of the fatty acids in the hump, camels produce water (called ‘metabolic water’) and ATP. The hump fat contains triacylglycerides with several different fatty acids but, for simplicity, let’s assume it consists exclusively of tristearoylglycerol (a triacylglyceride with 3 stearic acid molecules).

1. How many molecules of ATP can be produced from the oxidation of a molecule of stearic acid?
2. How many litersof water can a camel produce from 30 Kg of tristearoylglycerol in its hump?

Show all your work.

• The molecular weight of tristearoylglycerol is 891 g/mol.
• Remember that one liter of water weighs one kilogram.
• You may refer to Tables 10-1 and 17-1 of Lehninger.
• Refer to the pathways involved to find all the steps where ATP and water are produced or consumed.

Answer 1