Stearic acid

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(Redirected from Stearate)

Stearic acid
Common name	stearic acid
Systematic name	octadecanoic acid
Chemical formula	C₁₈H₃₆O₂
SMILES	CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC(=O)O

Stearic acid, also called octadecanoic acid, is one of the useful types of saturated fatty acids that comes from many animal and vegetable fats and oils. It is a waxy solid, and its chemical formula is CH₃(CH₂)₁₆COOH. Its name comes from the Greek word, stear, which means tallow. Its IUPAC name is octadecanoic acid.

Stearic acid is prepared by treating animal fat with water at a high pressure and temperature. It can also be obtained from the hydrogenation of vegetable oils. Common stearic acid is actually a mix of stearic acid and palmitic acid, although purified stearic acid is available separately.

Stearic acid is useful as an ingredient in making candles, soaps, plastics, oil pastel, cosmetics and for softening rubber. It is also useful as a parting compound when making plaster castings from a plaster piece mold or waste mold and when making the mold from a shellaced clay original. In this use, powdered stearic acid is disolved in water and the solution brushed upon the surface to be parted after casting.

Reduction of stearic acid yields stearyl alcohol.

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