glycerol
Sign in to saveGlycerol () is a sugar alcohol with chemical formula . It has three carbon atoms and as many hydroxyl groups. It is a colorless, odorless, sweet-tasting, viscous liquid at Standard Ambient Temperature and Pressure (SATP). Because of its three hydroxyl groups, glycerol is miscible with water and is hygroscopic in nature.
AI overview
Glycerol is a thick, sweet-tasting liquid made of three carbon atoms with multiple hydroxyl groups attached to them. It's commonly used in many products because it readily dissolves in water and attracts moisture, making it useful in everything from cosmetics to food manufacturing.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Research
72,647 papers- Glycerol and the skin: holistic approach to its origin and functions.The British journal of dermatology · 2008
- Mechanisms of protein stabilization and prevention of protein aggregation by glycerol.Biochemistry · 2009
- Glycerol metabolism in hypersaline environments.Environmental microbiology · 2017
- Glycerol metabolism and its implication in virulence in Mycoplasma.FEMS microbiology reviews · 2017
- Glycerol bioconversion to biofuel and value-added products by yeasts.FEMS yeast research · 2025
via PubMed
Article
26 sectionsContents
- Structure
- Production
- Natural sources
- Synthetic glycerol
- Applications
- Food industry
- Medical
- Botanical extracts
- Electronic cigarette liquid
- Antifreeze
- Chemical intermediate
- Vibration damping
- Niche uses
- Entertainment industry
- Ultrasonic couplant
- Internal combustion fuel
- Research on additional uses
- Metabolism
- Toxicity and safety
- Glycerol intoxication
- Historical cases of contamination with diethylene glycol
- Etymology
- Properties
- See also
- References
- External links
Glycerol () is a sugar alcohol with chemical formula . It has three carbon atoms and as many hydroxyl groups. It is a colorless, odorless, sweet-tasting, viscous liquid at Standard Ambient Temperature and Pressure (SATP). Because of its three hydroxyl groups, glycerol is miscible with water and is hygroscopic in nature.
The glycerol backbone is found in lipids known as glycerides, where one or more of the hydroxyl groups are esterified with fatty acids. The most abundant of glycerides are triglycerides (found in animal fats and vegetable oils), the form in which glycerol is most commonly found in nature. It is also widely used as a sweetener in the food industry and as a humectant in pharmaceutical formulations.