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Arachidonic acid

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Arachidonic acid is a widely used ingredient in cosmetics, personal care, and skincare formulations. Depending on its function, it may serve as a moisturizer, preservative, emulsifier, or active ingredient to enhance the overall effectiveness and performance of a product.

Arachidonic acid (Wikipedia)

Arachidonic acid (AA, sometimes ARA) is a polyunsaturated omega−6 fatty acid 20:4(ω−6), or 20:4(5,8,11,14). If its precursors or diet contains linoleic acid it is formed by biosynthesis and can be deposited in animal fats. It is a precursor in the formation of leukotrienes, prostaglandins, and thromboxanes.

Arachidonic acid
Structural formula of arachidonic acid
Structural formula of arachidonic acid
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
(5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z)-Icosa-5,8,11,14-tetraenoic acid
Other names
5,8,11,14-all-cis-Eicosatetraenoic acid
all-cis-5,8,11,14-Eicosatetraenoic acid
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
1713889
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
DrugBank
ECHA InfoCard 100.007.304 Edit this at Wikidata
EC Number
  • 208-033-4
58972
KEGG
MeSH Arachidonic+acid
RTECS number
  • CE6675000
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C20H32O2/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20(21)22/h6-7,9-10,12-13,15-16H,2-5,8,11,14,17-19H2,1H3,(H,21,22) ☒N
    Key: YZXBAPSDXZZRGB-UHFFFAOYSA-N ☒N
  • InChI=1S/C20H32O2/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20(21)22/h6-7,9-10,12-13,15-16H,2-5,8,11,14,17-19H2,1H3,(H,21,22)/b7-6-,10-9-,13-12-,16-15-
  • Key: YZXBAPSDXZZRGB-DOFZRALJSA-N
  • CCCCC/C=C\C/C=C\C/C=C\C/C=C\CCCC(=O)O
Properties
C20H32O2
Molar mass 304.474 g·mol−1
Density 0.922 g/cm3
Melting point −49 °C (−56 °F; 224 K)
Boiling point 169 to 171 °C (336 to 340 °F; 442 to 444 K) at 0.15 mmHg
log P 6.994
Acidity (pKa) 4.752
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS07: Exclamation mark
Warning
H302, H312, H315, H319, H332, H335
P261, P264, P270, P271, P280, P301+P312, P302+P352, P304+P312, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P312, P321, P322, P330, P332+P313, P337+P313, P362, P363, P403+P233, P405, P501
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
NFPA 704 four-colored diamondHealth 1: Exposure would cause irritation but only minor residual injury. E.g. turpentineFlammability 1: Must be pre-heated before ignition can occur. Flash point over 93 °C (200 °F). E.g. canola oilInstability 0: Normally stable, even under fire exposure conditions, and is not reactive with water. E.g. liquid nitrogenSpecial hazards (white): no code
1
1
0
Flash point 113 °C (235 °F; 386 K)
Related compounds
Related compounds
 Eicosatetraenoic acid
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Together with omega−3 fatty acids and other omega−6 fatty acids, arachidonic acid provides energy for body functions, contributes to cell membrane structure, and participates in the synthesis of eicosanoids, which have numerous roles in physiology as signaling molecules.

Its name derives from the ancient Greek neologism arachis 'peanut', although peanut oil does not contain any arachidonic acid. Arachidonate is the name of the derived carboxylate anion (conjugate base of the acid), salts, and some esters.

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