Lauric acid facts for kids
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Quick facts for kids Lauric acid |
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Preferred IUPAC name
Dodecanoic acid
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| Other names | n-Dodecanoic acid, Dodecylic acid, Dodecoic acid,
Laurostearic acid, Vulvic acid, 1-Undecanecarboxylic acid, Duodecylic acid, C12:0 (Lipid numbers) |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | |
| PubChem | |
| EC number | 205-582-1 |
| KEGG | C02679 |
| ChEBI | CHEBI:30805 |
| SMILES | O=C(O)CCCCCCCCCCC |
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InChI
InChI=1/C12H24O2/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12(13)14/h2-11H2,1H3,(H,13,14)
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| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | |
| Molar mass | 0 g mol-1 |
| Appearance | White powder |
| Odor | Slight odor of bay oil |
| Density | 1.007 g/cm3 (24 °C) 0.8744 g/cm3 (41.5 °C) 0.8679 g/cm3 (50 °C) |
| Melting point | |
| Boiling point | |
| 37 mg/L (0 °C) 55 mg/L (20 °C) 63 mg/L (30 °C) 72 mg/L (45 °C) 83 mg/L (100 °C) |
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| Solubility | Soluble in alcohols, diethyl ether, phenyls, haloalkanes, acetates |
| Solubility in methanol | 12.7 g/100 g (0 °C) 120 g/100 g (20 °C) 2250 g/100 g (40 °C) |
| Solubility in acetone | 8.95 g/100 g (0 °C) 60.5 g/100 g (20 °C) 1590 g/100 g (40 °C) |
| Solubility in ethyl acetate | 9.4 g/100 g (0 °C) 52 g/100 g (20°C) 1250 g/100 g (40°C) |
| Solubility in toluene | 15.3 g/100 g (0 °C) 97 g/100 g (20°C) 1410 g/100 g (40°C) |
| log P | 4.6 |
| Vapor pressure | 2.13·10−6 kPa (25 °C) 0.42 kPa (150 °C) 6.67 kPa (210 °C) |
| Acidity (pKa) | 5.3 (20 °C) |
| Thermal conductivity | 0.442 W/m·K (solid) 0.1921 W/m·K (72.5 °C) 0.1748 W/m·K (106 °C) |
| Refractive index (nD) | 1.423 (70 °C) 1.4183 (82 °C) |
| Viscosity | 6.88 cP (50 °C) 5.37 cP (60 °C) |
| Structure | |
| Crystal structure | Monoclinic (α-form) Triclinic, aP228 (γ-form) |
| Space group | P21/a, No. 14 (α-form) P1, No. 2 (γ-form) |
| 2/m (α-form) 1 (γ-form) |
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| Lattice constant | a = 9.524 Å, b = 4.965 Å, c = 35.39 Å (α-form) |
| Thermochemistry | |
| Std enthalpy of formation ΔfH |
−775.6 kJ/mol |
| Std enthalpy of combustion ΔcH |
7377 kJ/mol 7425.8 kJ/mol (292 K) |
| Specific heat capacity, C | 404.28 J/mol·K |
| Hazards | |
| NFPA 704 |
1
1
1
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| Flash point | > |
| Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) | |
Lauric acid, also known as dodecanoic acid, is a type of fatty acid with 12 carbon atoms. It's often called a "medium-chain fatty acid" because of its size. It looks like a bright white powder and has a faint smell, a bit like bay oil or soap. The related compounds, like its salts and esters, are called laurates.
Contents
Where is Lauric Acid Found?
Lauric acid is found in many natural sources, especially in certain plant oils and even in milk. It's a key part of triglycerides, which are common fats.
In Plants and Oils
Lauric acid makes up about half of the fat content in several plant oils. These include coconut milk, coconut oil, laurel oil, and palm kernel oil. It's not as common in other places.
Here are some plants and their oils that contain lauric acid:
- The Attalea speciosa palm tree (known as babassu in Brazil) – about 50% in its oil.
- The Attalea cohune palm (also called cohune palm) – about 46.5% in its oil.
- Astrocaryum murumuru (a palm from the Amazon) – about 47.5% in "murumuru butter."
- Coconut oil – about 49%.
- Pycnanthus kombo (African nutmeg).
- Virola surinamensis (wild nutmeg) – 7.8–11.5%.
- Peach palm seeds – 10.4%.
- Betel nut – 9%.
- Date palm seeds – 0.56–5.4%.
- Macadamia nuts – 0.072–1.1%.
- Plums – 0.35–0.38%.
- Watermelon seeds – 0.33%.
- Viburnum opulus – 0.24-0.33%.
- Citrullus lanatus (egusi melon).
- Pumpkin flowers (205 parts per million) and pumpkin seeds (472 parts per million).
In Insects
Lauric acid is also found in some insects. For example, the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) contains 30–50 milligrams of lauric acid per 100 milligrams of its fat.
What is Lauric Acid Used For?
Lauric acid is useful because it's not expensive, lasts a long time, isn't harmful, and is safe to handle.
- Soaps and Cosmetics: Its main use is in making soaps and cosmetics. To make soap, lauric acid is mixed with sodium hydroxide to create sodium laurate, which is a type of soap. Often, this sodium laurate is made from oils like coconut oil.
- Polymers: Lauric acid is also used to make dilauroyl peroxide. This substance helps start polymerizations, which are processes that create large chains of molecules called polymers.
Lauric Acid and Your Health
When you eat lauric acid, your body absorbs it. About 25–30% of lauric acid is absorbed through the portal vein, which is a pathway to the liver.
Lauric acid can affect your lipoproteins, which are like tiny packages that carry fats in your blood. It tends to increase total lipoproteins, especially high-density lipoprotein (HDL), often called "good" cholesterol. Because of this, some studies suggest lauric acid has a good effect on the balance of cholesterol in your body.
However, scientists are still studying the full effects of lauric acid on heart health. For example, a review in 2003 found that its overall effect on heart disease was still unclear. A 2016 review about coconut oil (which has a lot of lauric acid) also couldn't say for sure how it affects cardiovascular disease.
See also
In Spanish: %C3%81cido l%C3%A1urico para ni%C3%B1os
