Lignoceric acid (24 carbon atoms) owes its name to the fact that it was found in beech wood tar (in 1888 by Hell and Hermanns).It is a saturated fatty acid (no double bond so in shorthand 24:0) member of the sub-group called very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA), from 20 carbon atoms onwards.
PROPERTIES
Molecular weight: 368.63672 g/mol
Molecular formula: C24H48O2
IUPAC name: tetracosanoic acid
CAS registry number: 557-59-5
PubChem: 11197
In purified form it is crystalline fatty acid with melting point at 87.5-88 °C (189.5-190.4 °F) and boiling point at 272 °C (521.6 °F; 545.15 K) at 10 mmHg.
OTHER NAMES
tetracosoic acid
N-tetracosanoic acid
24:0
Sources of lignoceric acid
It occurs as glycerol ester as a minor constituent of many plant fats; it is found especially in wood tar, as from beech wood, rotten oak wood, but also in peanuts oil.
In animals, it is present in sphingomyelin.
References
- Akoh C.C. and Min D.B. “Food lipids: chemistry, nutrition, and biotechnology” 3th ed. 2008
- Chow Ching K. “Fatty acids in foods and their health implication” 3th ed. 2008
- Taylor F.A. The tetracosanic acid of peanut oil. J Biol Chem 1931;61-2:541-50. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(18)76565-4