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Caprylic acid
Fatty acid (CH3−(CH2)6−COOH) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Caprylic acid (from Latin capra 'goat'), also known under the systematic name octanoic acid or C8 Acid, is a saturated fatty acid, medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA). It has the structural formula H3C−(CH2)6−COOH, and is a colorless oily liquid that is minimally soluble in water with a slightly unpleasant rancid-like smell and taste.[1] Salts and esters of octanoic acid are known as octanoates or caprylates. The name of the related acyl group is octanoyl, capryloyl, or caprylyl.[5] It is a common industrial chemical, which is produced by oxidation of the C8 aldehyde.[6] Its compounds are found naturally in the milk of various mammals and as a minor constituent of coconut oil and palm kernel oil.[2]
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Names | |
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Preferred IUPAC name
Octanoic acid | |
Other names | |
Identifiers | |
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3D model (JSmol) |
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ChEBI | |
ChEMBL | |
ChemSpider |
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DrugBank |
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ECHA InfoCard | 100.004.253 ![]() |
EC Number |
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KEGG |
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PubChem CID |
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UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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Properties | |
C8H16O2 | |
Molar mass | 144.214 g/mol |
Appearance | Oily colorless liquid |
Odor | Faint, fruity-acid; irritating |
Density | 0.910 g/cm3[1] |
Melting point | 16.7 °C (62.1 °F; 289.8 K)[2] |
Boiling point | 239.7 °C (463.5 °F; 512.8 K)[1] |
0.068 g/100 mL[1] | |
Solubility | Soluble in alcohol, chloroform, ether, CS2, petroleum ether, acetonitrile |
log P | 3.05 |
Vapor pressure | 0.25 Pa |
Acidity (pKa) |
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−101.60·10−6 cm3/mol | |
Refractive index (nD) |
1.4285 |
Thermochemistry | |
Heat capacity (C) |
297.9 J/K·mol |
Std enthalpy of formation (ΔfH⦵298) |
−636 kJ/mol |
Hazards | |
GHS labelling: | |
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Danger | |
H314 | |
P264, P280, P301+P330+P331, P303+P361+P353, P304+P340+P310, P305+P351+P338+P310, P363, P405, P501 | |
NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
Flash point | 130 °C (266 °F; 403 K) |
440 °C (824 °F; 713 K) | |
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |
LD50 (median dose) |
10.08 g/kg (orally in rats)[1] |
Related compounds | |
Related compounds |
Heptanoic acid, nonanoic acid |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Two other acids are named after goats via the Latin word capra: caproic acid (C6) and capric acid (C10). Together, these three fatty acids comprise 15% of the fatty acids in goat milk fat.