Stearic acid

Scientific Name	CAS Registry No.
octadecanoic acid	57-11-4
Molecular Name	Common Name
C18 H36 O2	Stearic acid
Other Names
Octadecanoic acid; 1-heptadecanecarboxylic acid
2-D Structure

Biosynthetic Pathway
A minor product of fatty acid synthase and the direct elongation product of palmitic acid (16:0)
Distribution in...
Tissues	Lipid Classes
Phosphatidylethanolamine is generally enriched with 18:0 in all tissues while liver phosphatidylinositol and brain phosphatidylserine are specifically enriched with 18:0.	Present in most lipid classes and particularly enriched in phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylserine
Bioactive Products	Dietary Sources
	animal fats, vegetable butters (cocoa butter); sesame oil (to a lesser extent)
Links/References