Stearic Acid

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A white, waxy, fatty acid from tallow, butter acids, animal fats or vegetable oils. It is used in cosmetic creams for the pearliness and firmness provided. Allergic reactions to this chemical are common.

Stearic Acid (Wikipedia)

Stearic acid (/ˈstɪərɪk/ STEER-ik, /stiˈærɪk/ stee-ARR-ik) is a saturated fatty acid with an 18-carbon chain. The IUPAC name is octadecanoic acid. It is a waxy solid and its chemical formula is C17H35CO2H. Its name comes from the Greek word στέαρ "stéar", which means tallow. The salts and esters of stearic acid are called stearates. As its ester, stearic acid is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in nature following palmitic acid. The triglyceride derived from three molecules of stearic acid is called stearin.

Stearic acid
Skeletal formula of stearic acid
Ball-and-stick model of stearic acid
Stearic acid
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
Octadecanoic acid
Other names
Stearic acid
C18:0 (Lipid numbers)
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
DrugBank
ECHA InfoCard 100.000.285 Edit this at Wikidata
EC Number
  • 200-313-4
KEGG
RTECS number
  • WI2800000
UNII
  • CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)O
Properties
C18H36O2
Molar mass 284.484 g·mol−1
Appearance White solid
Odor Pungent, oily
Density 0.9408 g/cm3 (20 °C)
0.847 g/cm3 (70 °C)
Melting point 69.3 °C (156.7 °F; 342.4 K)
Boiling point 361 °C (682 °F; 634 K)
decomposes
232 °C (450 °F; 505 K)
at 15 mmHg
0.00018 g/100 g (0 °C)
0.00029 g/100 g (20 °C)
0.00034 g/100 g (30 °C)
0.00042 g/100 g (45 °C)
0.00050 g/100 g (60 °C)
Solubility Soluble in alkyl acetates, alcohols, HCOOCH3, phenyls, CS2, CCl4
Solubility in dichloromethane 3.58 g/100 g (25 °C)
8.85 g/100 g (30 °C)
18.3 g/100 g (35 °C)
Solubility in hexane 0.5 g/100 g (20 °C)
4.3 g/100 g (30 °C)
19 g/100 g (40 °C)
79.2 g/100 g (50 °C)
303 g/100 g (60 °C)
Solubility in ethanol 1.09 g/100 mL (10 °C)
2.25 g/100 g (20 °C)
5.42 g/100 g (30 °C)
22.7 g/100 g (40 °C)
105 g/100 g (50 °C)
400 g/100 g (60 °C)
Solubility in acetone 4.73 g/100 g
Solubility in chloroform 15.54 g/100 g
Solubility in toluene 13.61 g/100 g
Vapor pressure 0.01 kPa (158 °C)
0.46 kPa (200 °C)
16.9 kPa (300 °C)
−220.8·10−6 cm3/mol
Thermal conductivity 0.173 W/m·K (70 °C)
0.166 W/m·K (100 °C)
1.4299 (80 °C)
Structure
B-form = Monoclinic
B-form = P21/a
B-form = Cs
2h
a = 5.591 Å, b = 7.404 Å, c = 49.38 Å (B-form)
α = 90°, β = 117.37°, γ = 90°
Thermochemistry
501.5 J/mol·K
435.6 J/mol·K
−947.7 kJ/mol
−11342.4 kJ/mol
Hazards
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
1
1
0
Flash point 113 °C (235 °F; 386 K)
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
4640 mg/kg (rats, oral)
21.5 mg/kg (rats, intravenous)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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