Triolein (glyceryl trioleate) is a symmetrical
triglyceride
A triglyceride (from '' tri-'' and '' glyceride''; also TG, triacylglycerol, TAG, or triacylglyceride) is an ester derived from glycerol and three fatty acids.
Triglycerides are the main constituents of body fat in humans and other vertebrates ...
derived from glycerol and three units of the unsaturated
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 ...
oleic acid. Most triglycerides are unsymmetrical, being derived from mixtures of fatty acids. Triolein represents 4–30% of
olive oil
Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil.
It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...
.
Triolein is also known as glyceryl trioleate and is one of the two components of
Lorenzo's oil.
The oxidation of triolein is according to the formula:
: + 80 → 57 + 52
This gives a
respiratory quotient of 57/80 or 0.7125. The heat of combustion is per mole or per gram. Per mole of oxygen it is .
References
Triglycerides
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