Chemical structure of lignoceric acid
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
Food 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.