stearic acid

Thân thiện

A chemist adds stearic acid to a beaker in the laboratory.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A waxy saturated fatty acid: Stearic acid is a type of fatty acid that is solid and waxy at room temperature and is classified as saturated because its carbon chain contains no double bonds.
   • A compound occurring widely as a glyceride: It is commonly found in nature not as a free acid, but chemically bonded to glycerol, forming part of fats and oils in both animals and plants.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Stearic acid is a common ingredient in candle making and soap production due to its hardness.
  • The soap recipe calls for stearic acid to increase its firmness and lather stability.
  • Many animal fats, like beef tallow, are rich in triglycerides containing stearic acid.

Advanced Usage

• In Biochemistry: In metabolic contexts, "stearic acid" refers specifically to the C18:0 fatty acid (18 carbon atoms, 0 double bonds), which is a fundamental molecule in lipid biosynthesis and energy storage.
  • The enzyme stearoyl-CoA desaturase converts stearic acid into oleic acid.

Variants and Related Words

• Stearate (n): A salt or ester of stearic acid.
  • Magnesium stearate is used as a flow agent in pharmaceutical tablets.
• Stearin (n): A triglyceride derived from stearic acid; or a mixture of such triglycerides.
  • The stearin fraction of palm oil is high in stearic acid.

Synonyms

• Octadecanoic acid: The systematic IUPAC chemical name for stearic acid.
• C18:0: A common shorthand notation in nutrition and lipidology denoting a saturated fatty acid with 18 carbon atoms.

Related Phrases and Terms

• Saturated fatty acid: The broader class of compounds to which stearic acid belongs, characterized by no double bonds between carbon atoms.
• Animal and vegetable fats: The primary natural sources where stearic acid is found as a glyceride component.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a waxy saturated fatty acid; occurs widely as a glyceride in animal and vegetable fats

Từ đồng nghĩa

• octadecanoic acid