ricinoleic acid


nounChemistry.
  1. a colorless to yellow, viscous, liquid, water-insoluble, unsaturated hydroxyl acid, C18H34O3, occurring in castor oil in the form of the glyceride: used chiefly in soaps and textile finishing.

Origin of ricinoleic acid

1
First recorded in 1840–50

Words Nearby ricinoleic acid

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British Dictionary definitions for ricinoleic acid

ricinoleic acid

/ (ˌrɪsɪnəʊˈliːɪk, -ˈnəʊlɪɪk) /


noun
  1. an oily unsaturated carboxylic acid found, as the glyceride, in castor oil and used in the manufacture of soap and in finishing textiles; 12-hydroxy-9-octadecanoic acid. Formula: C 18 H 34 O 3

  2. the mixture of fatty acids obtained by hydrolysing castor oil

Origin of ricinoleic acid

1
C19: from ricin + oleic acid

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