lauric acid

Lauric acid
IUPAC name	dodecanoic acid
Other names	n-Dodecanoic acid; Dodecylic acid; Dodecoic acid; Laurostearic acid; Vulvic acid; 1-Undecanecarboxylic acid; Duodecylic acid;
Identifiers
CAS number	143-07-7 Y
PubChem	3893
Properties
Molecular formula	C12H24O2
Molar mass	200.31776
Appearance	white powder
Odor	slight odor of bay oil
Density	0.880 g/cm³
Melting point	44 °C
Boiling point	298.9 °C
Solubility in water	0.481 g/100 mL
Refractive index (nD)	1.423
Viscosity	7.30 mPa-s at 323 K
Hazards
Flash point	≥ 110 °C
Related compounds
Related compounds	Glyceryl laurate
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

Lauric acid (systematically: dodecanoic acid), a saturated fatty acid, is a white, powdery solid with a faint odor of bay oil or soap.

Occurrence

Lauric acid is the main acid in coconut oil and in palm kernel oil (not to be confused with palm oil), and is believed to have antimicrobial properties.^[1][2][3] It is also found in human milk (5.8% of total fat), cow's milk (2.2%), and goat's milk (4.5%).^{[citation needed]}

Uses

Lauric acid is inexpensive, has a long shelf-life, and is non-toxic and safe to handle. Thus, it is often used in laboratory investigations of melting point depression. Lauric acid is a solid at room temperature but melts easily in boiling water, so liquid lauric acid can be treated with various solutes and used to determine their molecular masses.^{[citation needed]}

Health effects

This article appears to contain speculation and unjustified claims. Information must be verifiable and based on reliable published sources. Please remove speculation from the article.

Lauric acid is able to raise metabolism, believed to be due to its activation of 20% of thyroidal hormones, which otherwise lie dormant.^{[citation needed]} This is supposed from lauric acid's release of enzymes in the intestinal tract which activate the thyroid.^{[citation needed]} This could account for the metabolism-raising properties of coconut oil.

References

1. ^ Hoffman KL, Han IY, Dawson PL (June 2001). "Antimicrobial effects of corn zein films impregnated with nisin, lauric acid, and EDTA". J. Food Prot. 64 (6): 885–9. PMID 11403145. 
2. ^ Ouattar B, Simard RE, Piett G, Bégin A, Holley RA (December 2000). "Inhibition of surface spoilage bacteria in processed meats by application of antimicrobial films prepared with chitosan". Int. J. Food Microbiol. 62 (1-2): 139–48. doi:10.1016/S0168-1605(00)00407-4. PMID 11139014. 
3. ^ PL Dawson, GD Carl, JC Acton, and IY Han (1 May 2002). "Effect of lauric acid and nisin-impregnated soy-based films on the growth of Listeria monocytogenes on turkey bologna" (Free full text). Poultry Science 81 (5): 721–726. PMID 12033424. http://ps.fass.org/cgi/content/abstract/81/5/721. 

Further reading

• Alexey Ruzin and Richard P. Novick (2000 May). "Equivalence of Lauric Acid and Glycerol Monolaurate as Inhibitors of Signal Transduction in Staphylococcus aureus" (Free full text). J Bacteriol 182 (9): 2668–2671. doi:10.1128/JB.182.9.2668-2671.2000. PMID 10762277. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=111339.