Difference between Oils and Fats

Oils and fats belong to similar chemical group, although they are different in their physical state.

(i) Oils are liquids at normal temperature that is below 20°C whereas fats are semi solids or solids and their melting points are much more than 20°C. A substance may be classed as fat in one season and oil in other type of season or the same glyceride may be solid at a hill station and liquid in plains. So, this distinction is not well founded like the physical state depends upon climate and weather.

(ii) The variation in oils and fats is actually dependent upon the nature of monocarboxylic acid available in the glyceride. Oils consist of large proportion of the glycerides of lower carboxylic acids, (for example butyric acid, caprylic acid and caproic acid) and unsaturated greasy acids, (for example oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids) whereas fats consist of a large proportion of glycerides of higher saturated carboxylic acids, (for example palmitic, stearic acids).