Questions: Which statement is NOT true? A) All natural and synthetic fibers are polymers. B) Olestra has so many ester units clustered together that they are too crowded to be hydrolyzed. C) Fibers like wool and silk obtained from animals are proteins, and are joined together by many ester linkages. D) Olestra has properties similar to the triacylglycerols in fats and oils.

Solution Steps

Statement A claims that all natural and synthetic fibers are polymers. This is true because fibers, whether natural (like cotton, wool, and silk) or synthetic (like nylon and polyester), are long chains of repeating units, which is the definition of a polymer.

Statement B states that Olestra has so many ester units clustered together that they are too crowded to be hydrolyzed. This is true because Olestra is a fat substitute with multiple ester bonds, making it resistant to enzymatic hydrolysis in the digestive system.

Statement C claims that fibers like wool and silk obtained from animals are proteins and are joined together by many ester linkages. This is not true. Wool and silk are indeed proteins, but they are joined together by peptide bonds, not ester linkages.

Statement D states that Olestra has properties similar to the triacylglycerols in fats and oils. This is true because Olestra is designed to mimic the properties of fats and oils without being absorbed by the body.

Final Answer