Behenic acid (also docosanoic acid) is a

carboxylic acid In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an Substituent, R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is often written as or , sometimes as with R referring to an organyl ...

, the saturated

fatty acid In chemistry, in particular in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated and unsaturated compounds#Organic chemistry, saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an ...

with formula . In appearance, it consists of white solid although impure samples appear yellowish.

Sources

At 9%, it is a major component of ben oil (or behen oil), which is extracted from the seeds of the drumstick tree (''Moringa oleifera''). It is so named from the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

month A month is a unit of time, used with calendars, that is approximately as long as a natural phase cycle of the Moon; the words ''month'' and ''Moon'' are cognates. The traditional concept of months arose with the cycle of Moon phases; such lunar mo ...

'' Bahman'', when the roots of this tree were harvested. Behenic acid is also present in some other oils and oil-bearing plants, including

rapeseed Rapeseed (''Brassica napus'' subsp. ''napus''), also known as rape and oilseed rape and canola, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturall ...

(

canola file:CanolaBlooms.JPG, Close-up of canola blooms file:Canola Flower.jpg, Canola flower Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both Edible oil, edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several ...

) and

peanut oil Peanut oil, also known as groundnut oil or arachis oil, is a vegetable oil derived from peanuts. The oil usually has a mild or neutral flavor but, if made with roasted peanuts, has a stronger peanut flavor and aroma. It is often used in Americ ...

and skins. It is estimated that one ton of peanut skins contains of behenic acid.USDA Scientists Find Treasure in Peanut Skins
.

Properties

As a dietary oil, behenic acid is poorly absorbed. In spite of its low bioavailability compared with

oleic acid Oleic acid is a fatty acid that occurs naturally in various animal and vegetable fats and oils. It is an odorless, colorless oil, although commercial samples may be yellowish due to the presence of impurities. In chemical terms, oleic acid is cl ...

, behenic acid is a

cholesterol Cholesterol is the principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body Tissue (biology), tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in Animal fat, animal fats and oils. Cholesterol is biosynthesis, biosynthesized by all anima ...

-raising saturated fatty acid in humans.Nilo B Cater and Margo A Denke, January 2001
Behenic acid is a cholesterol-raising saturated fatty acid in humans
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, v 73, No. 1, pp 41-44..

Uses

Commercially, behenic acid is often used to give

hair conditioner Hair conditioner is a hair care cosmetic product used to improve the feel, texture, appearance and manageability of hair. Its main purpose is to reduce friction between strands of hair to allow smoother brushing or combing, which might otherwise ...

s and

moisturizer A moisturizer, or emollient, is a Cosmetics, cosmetic preparation used for protecting, moisturizing, and lubricating the Human skin, skin. These functions are normally performed by Sebaceous gland, sebum produced by healthy skin. The word "emollie ...

s their smoothing properties. It is also used in

lubricating oil A lubricant (sometimes shortened to lube) is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces ...

s, and as a solvent evaporation retarder in paint removers. Its amide is used as an anti-foaming agent in

detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with Cleanliness, cleansing properties when in Concentration, dilute Solution (chemistry), solutions. There are a large variety of detergents. A common family is the alkylbenzene sulfonate ...

s, floor polishes and dripless

candle A candle is an ignitable candle wick, wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a Aroma compound, fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. ...

s. Reduction of behenic acid yields

behenyl alcohol 1-Docosanol, also known as behenyl alcohol, is a Saturated and unsaturated compounds, saturated fatty alcohol containing 22 carbon atoms, used traditionally as an Moisturizer, emollient, Emulsifier#Emulsifiers, emulsifier, and thickener in cosmet ...

. Pracaxi oil (from the seeds of ''

Pentaclethra macroloba ''Pentaclethra macroloba'' is a large and common leguminous tree in the genus ''Pentaclethra'' native to the wet tropical areas of the northern Neotropics, which can form monoculture, monocultural stands in some seasonally flooded habitats. It ha ...

'') is a natural product with one of the highest concentrations of behenic acid, and is used in hair conditioners.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Behenic Acid Fatty acids Alkanoic acids

Sources

Properties

Uses

See also

References