caprylic acid

Caprylic acid
IUPAC name	octanoic acid
Other names	Octanoic acid
Identifiers
CAS number	124-07-2 Y
PubChem	379
SMILES	O=C(O)CCCCCCC
InChI	1/C8H16O2/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8(9)10/h2-7H2,1H3,(H,9,10)
InChI key	WWZKQHOCKIZLMA-UHFFFAOYAH
ChemSpider ID	370
Properties
Molecular formula	C8H16O2
Molar mass	144.21 g/mol
Appearance	Oily colorless liquid
Density	0.910 g/cm3
Melting point	16–17 °C
Boiling point	237 °C, 510 K, 459 °F
Solubility in methanol	6.31 M [1]
Acidity (pKa)	4.89[2]
Y (what is this?)  (verify) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Caprylic acid is the common name for the eight-carbon saturated fatty acid known by the systematic name octanoic acid. It is found naturally in coconuts and breast milk. It is an oily liquid that is minimally soluble in water with a slightly unpleasant rancid-like smell.

Three such acids are named after goats: caproic (C6), caprylic (C8), capric (C10), totaling 15% in goat milk fat.

Uses

Caprylic acid is used commercially in the production of esters used in perfumery and also in the manufacture of dyes.

Caprylic acid is also used in the treatment of some bacterial infections. Due to its relatively short chain length it has no difficulty in penetrating fatty cell wall membranes, hence its effectiveness in combating certain lipid-coated bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and various species of Streptococcus.^[3]

Caprylic acid is an antimicrobial pesticide used as a food contact surface sanitizer in commercial food handling establishments on dairy equipment, food processing equipment, breweries, wineries, and beverage processing plants. It is also used as disinfectant in health care facilities, schools/colleges, animal care/veterinary facilities, industrial facilities, office buildings, recreational facilities, retail and wholesale establishments, livestock premises, restaurants, and hotels/motels. In addition, caprylic acid is used as an algaecide, bactericide, and fungicide in nurseries, greenhouses, garden centers, and interiorscapes on ornamentals. Products containing caprylic acid are formulated as soluble concentrate/liquids and ready-to-use liquids.^[4]

Caprylic acid must be covalently linked to the serine residue at the 3-position of ghrelin, specifically, it must acylate the -OH group, for ghrelin to have its hunger-stimulating action on the feeding centers of the hypothalamus, though other fatty acids may have similar effects.^{[clarification needed]}

References