What is the structure of a fatty acid?

A fatty acid is a carboxylic structure which makes up the structure of oils, fats, and all lipids (excluding steroids). Fatty acids typically consist of 12-20 carbon atoms which can be in a straight line or be unbranched. They have hydrogen atoms bound to them along the length of the chain at one end (tail portion or omega end) and a carboxyl group present at the opposite end (head portion or alpha end). The head portion contains a hydrophilic carboxylic group and the tail portion contains a lipophilic long chain of alkyl groups. The tail typically consists of an even number of carbon atoms.