Stearic acid is white leaflets, slightly yellow crystal masses or a white to slightly yellow powder. Stearic acid is a saturated fatty acid found in low percentages in cotton, coconut, palm kernel, corn, palm, castor, rapeseed, soybean, sunflower, herring, and tallow oils. It is also one of the fat components found in the cocoa butter of chocolate. It is prepared synthetically by hydrogenation of cottonseed and other vegetable oils or by treating animal fat with water at a high pressure and temperature. Stearic acid is useful as an ingredient in making candles, soaps, and for softening synthetic rubber. It is also a component of cosmetic formulations, pharmaceuticals creams and vanishing lotion. Stearic acid is practically nontoxic but the dust is irritating to eyes, nose, and throat and the solid is irritating to skin and eyes.
Lab name:
Common molecules
Sample provider:
Obtained courtesy of the Cambridge Structural Database
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