Caprylic acid
| Names | |
|---|---|
| Preferred IUPAC name Octanoic acid | |
| Other names | |
| Identifiers | |
| 3D model (JSmol) | |
| ChEBI | |
| ChEMBL | |
| ChemSpider | |
| DrugBank | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.004.253 | 
| EC Number | 
 | 
| KEGG | |
| PubChem CID | |
| UNII | |
| CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| Properties | |
| C8H16O2 | |
| Molar mass | 144.214 g/mol | 
| Appearance | Oily colorless liquid | 
| Odor | Faint, fruity-acid; irritating | 
| Density | 0.910 g/cm3 | 
| Melting point | 16.7 °C (62.1 °F; 289.8 K) | 
| Boiling point | 239.7 °C (463.5 °F; 512.8 K) | 
| 0.068 g/100 mL | |
| Solubility | Soluble in alcohol, chloroform, ether, CS2, petroleum ether, acetonitrile | 
| log P | 3.05 | 
| Vapor pressure | 0.25 Pa | 
| Acidity (pKa) | 
 | 
| −101.60·10−6 cm3/mol | |
| Refractive index (nD) | 1.4285 | 
| Thermochemistry | |
| Heat capacity (C) | 297.9 J/K·mol | 
| Std enthalpy of formation (ΔfH⦵298) | −636 kJ/mol | 
| Hazards | |
| GHS labelling: | |
| Danger | |
| H314 | |
| P264, P280, P301+P330+P331, P303+P361+P353, P304+P340+P310, P305+P351+P338+P310, P363, P405, P501 | |
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |
| Flash point | 130 °C (266 °F; 403 K) | 
| 440 °C (824 °F; 713 K) | |
| Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |
| LD50 (median dose) | 10.08 g/kg (orally in rats) | 
| Related compounds | |
| Related compounds | Heptanoic acid, nonanoic acid | 
| Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references | |
Caprylic acid (from Latin capra 'goat'), also known under the systematic name octanoic acid or C8 Acid, is a saturated fatty acid, medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA). It has the structural formula H3C−(CH2)6−COOH, and is a colorless oily liquid that is minimally soluble in water with a slightly unpleasant rancid-like smell and taste. Salts and esters of octanoic acid are known as octanoates or caprylates. The name of the related acyl group is octanoyl, capryloyl, or caprylyl. It is a common industrial chemical, which is produced by oxidation of the C8 aldehyde. Its compounds are found naturally in the milk of various mammals and as a minor constituent of coconut oil and palm kernel oil.
Two other acids are named after goats via the Latin word capra: caproic acid (C6) and capric acid (C10). Together, these three fatty acids comprise 15% of the fatty acids in goat milk fat.