Structure via PubChem · Public domain (PubChem)
caprylic acid
Sign in to saveAlso known as octoic acid, n-octanoic acid, 1-heptanecarboxylic acid, n-caprylic acid, n-octylic acid, n-octoic acid, octanoic acid
chemical compound
Chemical data
- Formula
- C8H16O2
- Molecular weight
- 144.21 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- octanoic acid
- SMILES
- CCCCCCCC(=O)O
- InChIKey
- WWZKQHOCKIZLMA-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- XLogP
- 3
- Polar surface area
- 37.3 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 1
- H-bond acceptors
- 2
- Formal charge
- 0
via PubChem
~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
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. Salts and esters of octanoic acid are known as octanoates or caprylates. The name of the related acyl group is octanoyl, capryloyl, or caprylyl. It is a common industrial chemical, which is produced by oxidation of the C8 aldehyde. Its compounds are found naturally in the milk of various mammals and as a minor constituent of coconut oil and palm kernel oil.
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.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “caprylic acid” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.