Linoleic acid
Description
An unsaturated fatty acid (C18) that is a component of many vegetable oils such as linseed, soybean, corn, sunflower, safflower, poppy seed, and perilla. Linoleic acid is one component that makes an oil a 'Drying oil'. The two double bonds in linoleic acid readily oxidize in air to produce a hardened, insoluble film. Pure linoleic acid added to paints, coatings, lacquers, and vitamins (as a food supplement).
Synonyms and Related Terms
cis-9, cis12-octadienoic acid; ácido linoleico (Esp.); acide linoléïque (Fr.); acido linoleico (It); linolic acid
Other Properties
Soluble in ethanol or ether. Insoluble in water.
| Composition | C17H31COOH |
|---|---|
| CAS | 60-33-3 |
| Melting Point | -5 |
| Density | 0.905 |
| Molecular Weight | mol. wt. = 280.44 |
| Boiling Point | 228 |
Hazards and Safety
Combustible. Reacts with oxygen to solidify.
Fisher Scientific: MSDS
Authority
- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 313
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 5529
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998