Erucic acid
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| Erucic acid | |
|---|---|
| |
| Chemical name | Z-13-Docosenoic acid |
| Other names | Erucic acid |
| Chemical formula | C22H42O2 |
| Molecular mass | 338.56 g/mol |
| CAS number | [112-86-7] |
| Density | 0.860 g/cm3 |
| Melting point | 33.8 °C |
| Boiling point | 381.5 °C (dec.) |
| SMILES | OC(CCCCCCCCCC/C=C\CCCCCCCC)=O |
| Disclaimer and references | |
Erucic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid, denoted 22:1 ω-9. It is prevalent in rapeseed, wallflower seed, and mustard seed, making up 40 to 50 percent of their oils. Erucic acid is also known as cis-13-docosenoic acid and the trans isomer is known as brassidic acid.
Erucic acid is used to produce emollients, surfactants, and other chemicals. Erucic has been shown to have a variety of health impacts in studies, and foods containing large amounts of erucic acid are considered unfit for human consumption in many countries. Canola is a special variety of rapeseed oil that contains less than 1% of the unwanted erucic acid. A four-to-one mixture of erucic acid and oleic acid constitutes Lorenzo's oil, a potential treatment for the rare neurobiological disorder adrenoleukodistrophy (ALD).
