Definition
noun, plural: palmitins
A solid, white, crystallizable fat in animal and plant tissues
Supplement
Palmitin belongs to the group of fatty acids. A fatty acid is a long chain of hydrocarbon. There are various forms of fatty acids and they may be classified as unsaturated or unsaturated based on the presence of double bonds between carbon molecules. 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. Palmintin is a white, crystallizable fat found in animal and plant tissues. It is solid at ordinary temperatures. It melts to a liquid oil at 62-degree Celsius. It readily dissolves in hot alcohol whereas it is insoluble in water. It is a triglyceride of palmitic acid. Palmitic acid is an unsaturated fatty acid.
Palmitin is used in the manufacture of soap by saponification (i.e. by heating it with an alkali).
IUPAC name: hexadecanoic acid
Chemical formula: C51H98O6
Synonym(s):
- tripalmitin
- Glycerol tripalmitate
- Glycerin tripalmitate
- Glyceryl tripalmitate
- Palmitic triglyceride
- Tripalmitoyl glycerol
See also:
Related form(s):
- palmitic (adjective, pertaining to, or obtained from, palmitin or palm oil)
