Caprylic acid

Not to be confused with Caproic acid or Capric acid.
Caprylic acid
Skeletal formula
Ball-and-stick model
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
Octanoic acid
Other names
1-Heptanecarboxylic acid
Octylic acid
Octoic acid
C8:0 (lipid numbers)
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
DrugBank
ECHA InfoCard 100.004.253 Edit this at Wikidata
EC Number
  • 204-677-5
KEGG
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C8H16O2/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8(9)10/h2-7H2,1H3,(H,9,10) checkY
    Key: WWZKQHOCKIZLMA-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY
  • InChI=1/C8H16O2/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8(9)10/h2-7H2,1H3,(H,9,10)
    Key: WWZKQHOCKIZLMA-UHFFFAOYAH
  • CCCCCCCC(=O)O
Properties
C8H16O2
Molar mass 144.214 g/mol
Appearance Oily colorless liquid
Odor Faint, fruity-acid; irritating
Density 0.910 g/cm3[1]
Melting point 16.7 °C (62.1 °F; 289.8 K)[3]
Boiling point 239.7 °C (463.5 °F; 512.8 K)[1]
0.068 g/100 mL[1]
Solubility Soluble in alcohol, chloroform, ether, CS2, petroleum ether, acetonitrile
log P 3.05
Vapor pressure 0.25 Pa
Acidity (pKa)
  • 4.89[2]
  • 1.055 (2.06–2.63 K)
  • 1.53 (−191 °C)
−101.60·10−6 cm3/mol
1.4285
Thermochemistry
297.9 J/K·mol
−636 kJ/mol
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS05: Corrosive[4]
Danger
H314
P264, P280, P301+P330+P331, P303+P361+P353, P304+P340+P310, P305+P351+P338+P310, P363, P405, P501
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
NFPA 704 four-colored diamondHealth 3: Short exposure could cause serious temporary or residual injury. E.g. chlorine gasFlammability 0: Will not burn. E.g. waterInstability 1: Normally stable, but can become unstable at elevated temperatures and pressures. E.g. calciumSpecial hazard COR: Corrosive; strong acid or base. E.g. sulfuric acid, potassium hydroxide
3
0
1
COR
Flash point 130 °C (266 °F; 403 K)
440 °C (824 °F; 713 K)
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
10.08 g/kg (orally in rats)[1]
Related compounds
Related compounds
 Heptanoic acid, nonanoic acid
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
checkY verify (what is checkY☒N ?)

Caprylic acid (from Latin capra 'goat'), also known under the systematic name octanoic acid or C8 Acid, is a saturated fatty acid, medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA). It has the structural formula H3C−(CH2)6−COOH, and is a colorless oily liquid that is minimally soluble in water with a slightly unpleasant rancid-like smell and taste.[1] Salts and esters of octanoic acid are known as octanoates or caprylates. The name of the related acyl group is octanoyl, capryloyl, or caprylyl.[5] It is a common industrial chemical, which is produced by oxidation of the C8 aldehyde.[6] Its compounds are found naturally in the milk of various mammals and as a minor constituent of coconut oil and palm kernel oil.[3]

Two other acids are named after goats via the Latin word capra: caproic acid (C6) and capric acid (C10). Together, these three fatty acids comprise 15% of the fatty acids in goat milk fat.

  1. ^ a b c d e Budavari, Susan, ed. (1996), The Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals (12th ed.), Merck, ISBN 0911910123
  2. ^ Lide, D.R. (Ed.) (1990). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (70th Edn.). Boca Raton (FL):CRC Press.
  3. ^ a b Beare-Rogers, J.; Dieffenbacher, A.; Holm, J.V. (2001). "Lexicon of lipid nutrition (IUPAC Technical Report)". Pure and Applied Chemistry. 73 (4): 685–744. doi:10.1351/pac200173040685. S2CID 84492006.
  4. ^ Sigma-Aldrich Co., Octanoic acid. Retrieved on 2022-08-11.
  5. ^ "CHEBI:25650 - octanoyl group". Chemical Entities of Biological Interest (ChEBI). 23 November 2010. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  6. ^ Riemenschneider, Wilhelm (2002). "Carboxylic Acids, Aliphatic". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a05_235. ISBN 978-3527306732.