Palmitic acid

Description

A white crystalline waxy material. Palmitic acid is a saturated fatty acid that occurs naturally in many animal fats and vegetable oils. It is found in Linseed oil, Palm oil, Japan wax, and vegetable tallow.

Synonyms and Related Terms

hexadecanoic acid; hexadecylic acid; cetylic acid; 1-pentadecanecarboxylic acid

FTIR

Chemical structure

Other Properties

Insoluble in water. Slightly soluble in alcohol, ligroin.

Soluble in hot alcohol, ether, propyl alcohol, chloroform.

Composition	C15H31COOH
CAS	57-10-3
Melting Point	63-64
Density	0.853
Molecular Weight	mol. wt.=256.42
Boiling Point	215

Hazards and Safety

International Chemical Safety Card

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 572

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: p. 6860

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