Α-Linolenic acid
| Names | |
|---|---|
| Preferred IUPAC name
(9Z,12Z,15Z)-Octadeca-9,12,15-trienoic acid | |
| Other names
ALA; LNA; Linolenic acid; cis,cis,cis-9,12,15-Octadecatrienoic acid; (9Z,12Z,15Z)-9,12,15-Octadecatrienoic acid; Industrene 120 | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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| ChEBI | |
| ChEMBL | |
| ChemSpider | |
| DrugBank | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.006.669 |
PubChem CID |
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| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| C18H30O2 | |
| Molar mass | 278.436 g·mol−1 |
| Density | 0.9164 g/cm3 |
| Melting point | −11 °C (12 °F; 262 K) |
| Boiling point | 232 °C (450 °F; 505 K) at 17.0 mmHg |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references | |
α-Linolenic acid, also known as alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) (from Greek alpha denoting "first" and linon meaning flax), is an n−3, or omega-3, essential fatty acid. ALA is found in many seeds and oils, including flaxseed, walnuts, chia, hemp, and many common vegetable oils.
In terms of its structure, it is named all-cis-9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid. In physiological literature, it is listed by its lipid number, 18:3 (n−3). It is a carboxylic acid with an 18-carbon chain and three cis double bonds. The first double bond is located at the third carbon from the methyl end of the fatty acid chain, known as the n end. Thus, α-linolenic acid is a polyunsaturated n−3 (omega-3) fatty acid. It is a regioisomer of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an 18:3 (n−6) fatty acid (i.e., a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid with three double bonds).