Dictionary > Palmitic acid

Palmitic acid

Definition
noun, plural: palmitic acids
A 16-carbon fatty acid, with the formula: CH3 (CH2)14 COOH
Supplement
A fatty acid is a long chain of hydrocarbon. If there are no unsaturated linkages but only single bonds between carbon atoms them the fatty acid is a saturated type. This is in contrast to an unsaturated fatty acid that contains at least one double carbon-carbon bond.
The palmitic acid is a saturated fatty acid. It has sixteen carbon molecules in a chain connected by single bonds. It is the most common form of saturated fatty acid in most living things.
The palmitic acid occurs naturally in vegetable oils (e.g. palm oil and olive oil), fats, and waxes. One of its industrial uses is for making soaps through saponification. The esters and salts of palmitic acid are referred to as palmitate.
One of the main sources of palmitic acid is carbohydrates that are in excess in the body. It may serve as a precursor to longer fatty acids. The palmitoyl residue is one of the common acyl residues of membrane phospholipids. It is also found as a thioester attached to cystein residues on some membrane proteins. The proteins so modified are often transmembrane proteins and the modified residue is on the cytoplasmic surface of the membrane.
IUPAC name:

  • dodecanoic acid

Chemical formula:
CH3 (CH2)14 COOH
See also:


You will also like...

Hormone Production
Hormone Production

Hormones are chemical messengers produced by specialized glands and they were produced by switching on the genes designe..

Biological Cell Defense
Biological Cell Defense

Organisms employ different strategies to boost its defenses against antigens. Humans have an immune system to combat pat..

Kidneys
Kidneys and Regulation of Water and Inorganic Ions

The kidneys are responsible for the regulation of water and inorganic ions. Read this tutorial to learn about the differ..

Developmental Biology
Developmental Biology

Developmental biology is a biological science that is primarily concerned with how a living thing grows and attains matu..

Human Neurology
Human Neurology

Human Neurology deals essentially with the nervous system of humans. It also features the various theories put forward b..

green leaf - close up view
Leaves

Leaves are the major photosynthetic organ of a plant. Apart from that, they are also crucial to water movement. In this ..

Related Articles...

No related articles found

See all Related Topics