Stearic acid IUPAC name octadecanoic acid Identifiers CAS number 57-11-4 PubChem 5281 SMILES CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)O Properties Molecular formula C18H36O2 Molar mass 284.47724 Density 0.847 g/cm3 at 70 °C Melting point 69.6 °C Image File history File links Stearic_acid. ... IUPAC nomenclature is a system of naming chemical compounds and of describing the science of chemistry in general. ... CAS registry numbers are unique numerical identifiers for chemical compounds, polymers, biological sequences, mixtures and alloys. ... PubChem is a database of chemical molecules. ... The simplified molecular input line entry specification or SMILES is a specification for unambiguously describing the structure of chemical molecules using short ASCII strings. ... A chemical formula is a concise way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound. ... Molar mass is the mass of one mole of a chemical element or chemical compound. ... For other uses, see Density (disambiguation). ... The melting point of a crystalline solid is the temperature range at which it changes state from solid to liquid. ... Boiling point 383 °C Italic text This article is about the boiling point of liquids. ... Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references

A spacefilling model of the Stearic Acid molecule

A diagram of the Stearic Acid molecule

Stearic acid (IUPAC systematic name: octadecanoic acid) is one of the useful types of saturated fatty acids that comes from many animal and vegetable fats and oils. It is a waxy solid, and its chemical formula is CH₃(CH₂)₁₆COOH. Its name comes from the Greek word stéar (genitive: stéatos), which means tallow. The term stearate is applied to the salts and esters of stearic acid. The plimsoll symbol as used in shipping In chemistry, the standard state of a material is its state at 1 bar (100 kilopascals exactly). ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 175 pixelsFull resolution‎ (804 × 176 pixels, file size: 21 KB, MIME type: image/gif) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 175 pixelsFull resolution‎ (804 × 176 pixels, file size: 21 KB, MIME type: image/gif) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to the advancement of chemistry. ... There are millions of possible objects that can be described in science, too many to create common names for every one. ... In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid often with a long unbranched aliphatic tail (chain), which is either saturated or unsaturated. ... The genitive case is a grammatical case that indicates a relationship, primarily one of possession, between the noun in the genitive case and another noun. ... Tallow is rendered beef or mutton fat, processed from suet. ... For other uses, see Ester (disambiguation). ...

Production

Stearic acid is prepared by treating animal fat with water at a high pressure and temperature, leading to the hydrolysis of triglycerides. It can also be obtained from the hydrogenation of some unsaturated vegetable oils. Common stearic acid is actually a mix of stearic acid and palmitic acid, although purified stearic acid is available separately. {{refimprove|date=October 2007} Ausra yra maza mergaite. ... Hydrogenation is a class of chemical reactions which result an addition of hydrogen (H2) usually to unsaturated organic compounds. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with cooking oil. ... Palmitic acid, or hexadecanoic acid in IUPAC nomenclature, is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals and plants. ...

Uses

Stearic acid is useful as an ingredient in making candles, soaps, plastics, oil pastels and cosmetics, and for softening rubber. Stearic acid is used to harden soaps, particularly those made with vegetable oil. For other uses, see Candle (disambiguation). ... A collection of decorative soaps used for human hygiene purposes. ... For other uses, see Plastic (disambiguation). ... Oil pastel (also called wax oil crayon) is a painting and drawing medium with characteristics similar to pastels and wax crayons. ... Make-up redirects here. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ...

Stearic acid is also used as a parting compound when making plaster castings from a plaster piece mold or waste mold and when making the mold from a shellacked clay original. In this use, powdered stearic acid is dissolved in water and the solution is brushed onto the surface to be parted after casting.

Esters of stearic acid with ethylene glycol, glycol stearate and glycol distearate are used to produce a pearly effect in shampoos, soaps, and other cosmetic products. They are added to the product in molten form and allowed to crystalize under controlled conditions. For other uses, see Ester (disambiguation). ... Ethylene glycol (monoethylene glycol (MEG), IUPAC name: ethane-1,2-diol) is an alcohol with two -OH groups (a diol), a chemical compound widely used as an automotive antifreeze. ... Stearic acid also called octadecanoic acid is one of the many useful types of saturated fatty acids that comes from many animal and vegetable fats and oils. ...

In fireworks, stearic acid is often used to coat metal powders such as aluminium and iron. This prevents oxidation allowing compositions to be stored for longer. Fourth of July fireworks in San Diego, California New Years Day fireworks at Seaport Village, California Preparing fireworks at Sayn Castle 4th of July fireworks in Portland, Oregon Fireworks at Epcot Center, Florida, USA. See the Video. ... This article is about metallic materials. ... Aluminum redirects here. ... For other uses, see Iron (disambiguation). ... The most fundamental reactions in chemistry are the redox processes. ...

It is used along with simple sugar or corn syrup as a hardener in candies. This article is about sugar as food and as an important and widely traded commodity. ... Tate & Lyle brand Corn Syrup being moved by tank car Corn syrup is a syrup, made using corn (maize) starch as a [feedstock], and composed mainly of [glucose]. A series of two [enzyme|enzymatic] reactions are used to convert the corn starch to corn syrup. ... Candy is a term for a type of confectionery prepared by dissolving sugar in water or milk and boiling it until it starts to caramelize. ...

Reactions

Stearic acid undergoes the typical reactions of saturated carboxylic acids, notably reduction to stearyl alcohol, and esterification with a range of alcohols. Stearyl alcohol (also known as octadecyl alcohol or 1-octadecanol) is a substance prepared from stearic acid by the process of catalytic hydrogenation. ...

Metabolism

An isotope labeling study in humans^[1] concluded that the fraction of dietary stearic acid oxidatively desaturated to oleic acid was 2.4 times higher than the fraction of palmitic acid analogously converted to palmitoleic acid. Also, stearic acid was less likely to be incorporated into cholesterol esters. These findings may indicate that stearic acid is less unhealthy than other saturated fatty acids. It has been suggested that Isotopic tracer be merged into this article or section. ... ed|other uses|reduction}} Illustration of a redox reaction Redox (shorthand for reduction/oxidation reaction) describes all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation number (oxidation state) changed. ... Oleic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid found in various animal and vegetable sources. ... Palmitic acid, or hexadecanoic acid in IUPAC nomenclature, is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals and plants. ... Palmitoleic acid, or (Z)-9-hexadecenoic acid, is a monounsaturated fatty acid that is a common constituent of the glycerides of human adipose tissue. ... Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol). ...

See also

• Magnesium stearate

Magnesium stearate, also called Octadecanoic acid,magnesium salt is a white substance, solid at room temperature, chemical formula C36H70MgO4. ...

References

1. ^ Emken, Edward A. (1994). "Metabolism of dietary stearic acid relative to other fatty acids in human subjects" (PDF). American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 60: 1023S–1028S. Retrieved on 2006-08-07. 

• Merck Index, 11th Edition, 8761.

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• NIST Chemistry WebBook Entry