What is "heptadecanoic acid"

Margaric \Mar*gar"ic\, a. [Cf. F. margarique. See Margarite.] Pertaining to, or resembling, pearl; pearly. Margaric acid.

1. (Physiol. Chem.) A fatty body, crystallizing in pearly scales, and obtained by digesting saponified fats (soaps) with an acid. It was formerly supposed to be an individual fatty acid, but is now known to be simply an intimate mixture of stearic and palmitic acids.

2. (Chem.) A white, crystalline substance, C17H34O2 of the fatty acid series, intermediate between palmitic and stearic acids, and obtained from the wax of certain lichens, from cetyl cyanide, and other sources. Called also heptadecanoic acid.

n. margaric acid.

n. a colorless crystalline synthetic fatty acid [syn: margaric acid]

Heptadecanoic acid, or margaric acid, is a saturated fatty acid. Its molecular formula is CH(CH)COOH. It occurs as a trace component of the fat and milkfat of ruminants, but it does not occur in any natural animal or vegetable fat at high concentrations. Salts and esters of heptadecanoic acid are called heptadecanoates.