How are waxes bonded?

• A. ester linkages
• B. peptide bonds
• C. glycosidic bonds
• D. phosphodiester bonds

Answer: (C)

Waxes are formed by an ester linkage, created when a long-chain fatty acid condenses with a long-chain alcohol. This ester bond links the two hydrocarbon chains and is the defining bond type in waxes. It’s the same general idea as in fats, where fatty acids are esterified to glycerol, but in waxes the alcohol partner is a long-chain alcohol instead of glycerol. Other bond types—glycosidic bonds in carbohydrates, peptide bonds in proteins, and phosphodiester bonds in nucleic acids—serve different biomolecules, so they don’t apply to the chemical structure of waxes.