caprylic acid caprylic acid 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. 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. not to be confused with caproic acid or capric acid. caprylic acid names preferred iupac name octanoic acid other names 1-heptanecarboxylic acidoctylic acidoctoic acidc8:0 (lipid numbers) identifiers cas number 124-07-2 y 3d model (jsmol) interactive image chebi chebi:28837 y chembl chembl324846 y chemspider 370 y drugbank db04519 y echa infocard 100.004.253 ec number 204-677-5 iuphar/bps 4585 kegg d05220 y pubchem cid 379 unii obl58jn025 y comptox dashboard (epa) dtxsid3021645 inchi inchi=1s/c8h16o2/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8(9)10/h2-7h2,1h3,(h,9,10) ykey: wwzkqhockizlma-uhfffaoysa-n yinchi=1/c8h16o2/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8(9)10/h2-7h2,1h3,(h,9,10)key: wwzkqhockizlma-uhfffaoyah smiles cccccccc(=o)o properties chemical formula 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) solubility in water 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) 4.891.055 (2.06–2.63 k)1.53 (−191 °c) magnetic susceptibility (χ) −101.60·10−6 cm3/mol refractive index (nd) 1.4285 thermochemistry heat capacity (c) 297.9 j/k·mol std enthalpy offormation (δfh⦵298) −636 kj/mol hazards ghs labelling: pictograms signal word danger hazard statements h314 precautionary statements p264, p280, p301+p330+p331, p303+p361+p353, p304+p340+p310, p305+p351+p338+p310, p363, p405, p501 nfpa 704 (fire diamond) 3 0 1cor flash point 130 °c (266 °f; 403 k) autoignitiontemperature 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 , 100 kpa). y verify (what is yn ?) infobox references 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. uses caprylic acid is used commercially in the production of esters used in perfumery and also in the manufacture of dyes. caprylic acid is an antimicrobial pesticide used as a food contact surface sanitizer in commercial food handling establishments on dairy equipment, food processing equipment, breweries, wineries, and beverage processing plants. it is also used as disinfectant in health care facilities, schools/colleges, animal care/veterinary facilities, industrial facilities, office buildings, recreational facilities, retail and wholesale establishments, livestock premises, restaurants, and hotels/motels. in addition, caprylic acid is used as an algicide, bactericide, fungicide, and herbicide in nurseries, greenhouses, garden centers, and interiors, and on ornamentation. products containing caprylic acid are formulated as soluble concentrate/liquids and ready-to-use liquids. caprylic acid plays an important role in the body's regulation of energy input and output, a function which is performed by the hormone ghrelin. the sensation of hunger is a signal that the body requires an input of energy in the form of food consumption. ghrelin stimulates hunger by triggering receptors in the hypothalamus. in order to activate these receptors, ghrelin must undergo a process called acylation in which it acquires an acyl group, and caprylic acid provides this by linking at a specific serine site on ghrelin molecules. other fatty acids in the same position have similar effects on hunger. the acyl chloride of caprylic acid is used in the synthesis of perfluorooctanoic acid. dietary uses