Cod liver oil

Description

A pale yellow, nondrying oil expressed from the fresh livers of cod fish (Gadus morhua). Cod liver oil primarily contains unsaturated fatty acids (palmitoleic [20%], acid oleic and acid linoleic [29% combined]) with smaller amounts of saturated fatty acids (myristic [7.3%], acid palmitic [8.4%], and acid stearic [0.6]) and some cholesterol. It is a dietary source of vitamins A and D and was used medicinally in the 18th and 19th centuries for the treatment of rickets. Cod liver oil is a primary agent in the tanning of leather chamois leather. It is also mixed with oxide zinc oxide and sold in commercial protective creams (Desitin, etc.)

Synonyms and Related Terms

Gadus morhua; aceite de hgado de bacalao (Esp.); olio di fegato di merluzzo (It); cod-liver oil; cod oil; morrhua oil

Example include: Gaduol; Tunol

Other Properties

Soluble in ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, carbon disulfide. Slightly soluble in ethanol. Saponification value 180-190. Iodine value 145-180.

CAS	8001-69-2
Density	0.918-0.927
Refractive Index	1.4705-1.4745

Hazards and Safety

Combustible.

Authority

• Richard S. Lewis, Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 2530

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "cod-liver oil." Encyclopdia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopdia Britannica Premium Service 17 May 2005 .

• CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Robert Weast (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, v. 61, 1980

• Random House, Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998