Cetyl palmitate
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Cetyl palmitate 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.
Cetyl palmitate (Wikipedia)
Hexadecyl hexadecanoate, also known as cetyl palmitate, is the ester derived from hexadecanoic acid and 1-hexadecanol. This white waxy solid is the primary constituent of spermaceti, the once highly prized wax found in the skull of sperm whales. Cetyl palmitate is a component of some solid lipid nanoparticles.
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| Names | |
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| Preferred IUPAC name
Hexadecyl hexadecanoate | |
| Other names
Palmityl palmitate
Palmitic acid palmityl ester Palmitic acid hexadecyl ester Palmitic acid cetyl ester n-hexadecyl palmitate Palmatic acid n-hexadecyl ester | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol)
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| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.007.943 |
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| KEGG | |
PubChem CID
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| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
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| Properties | |
| C32H64O2 | |
| Molar mass | 480.862 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | Colourless wax |
| Melting point | 54 °C (129 °F; 327 K) |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Stony corals, which build the coral reefs, contain large amounts of cetyl palmitate wax in their tissues, which may function in part as an antifeedant.
