Fatty alcohol

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Fatty alcohols are aliphatic alcohols derived from natural fats and oils. They are the counterparts of fatty acids and fatty aldehydes. They usually have even number of carbon atoms. Production from fatty acids yields normal-chain alcohols—the alcohol group (-OH) attaches to the terminal carbon. Other processing can yield iso-alcohols—where the alcohol attaches to a carbon in the interior of the carbon chain.

The smaller molecules are used in cosmetics and food, and as industrial solvents. Some of the larger molecules are important as biofuels.

Due to their amphipathic nature, fatty alcohols behave as nonionic surfactants. They find use as emulsifiers, emollients and thickeners in cosmetics and food industry.

Fatty alcohols are a common component of waxes, mostly as esters with fatty acids but also as alcohols themselves.

Those with common names include:

capryl alcohol (1-octanol) -- 8 carbon atoms
pelargonic alcohol (1-nonanol) -- 9 carbon atoms
capric alcohol (1-decanol, decyl alcohol) -- 10 carbon atoms
1-dodecanol (lauryl alcohol) -- 12 carbon atoms
myristyl alcohol (1-tetradecanol) -- 14 carbon atoms
cetyl alcohol (1-hexadecanol) -- 16 carbon atoms
palmitoleyl alcohol (cis-9-hexadecan-1-ol) -- 16 carbon atoms, unsaturated, CH₃(CH₂)₅CH=CH(CH₂)₈OH
stearyl alcohol (1-octadecanol) -- 18 carbon atoms
isostearyl alcohol (16-methylheptadecan-1-ol) -- 18 carbon atoms, branched, (CH₃)₂CH-(CH₂)₁₅OH
elaidyl alcohol (9E-octadecen-1-ol) -- 18 carbon atoms, unsaturated, CH₃(CH₂)₇CH=CH(CH₂)₈OH
oleyl alcohol (cis-9-octadecen-1-ol) -- 18 carbon atoms, unsaturated
linoleyl alcohol (9Z, 12Z-octadecadien-1-ol) -- 18 carbon atoms, polyunsaturated
elaidolinoleyl alcohol (9E, 12E-octadecadien-1-ol) -- 18 carbon atoms, polyunsaturated
linolenyl alcohol (9Z, 12Z, 15Z-octadecatrien-1-ol) -- 18 carbon atoms, polyunsaturated
elaidolinolenyl alcohol (9E, 12E, 15-E-octadecatrien-1-ol) -- 18 carbon atoms, polyunsaturated
ricinoleyl alcohol (12-hydroxy-9-octadecen-1-ol) -- 18 carbon atoms, unsaturated, diol, CH₃(CH₂)₅CH(OH)CH₂CH=CH(CH₂)₈OH
arachidyl alcohol (1-eicosanol) -- 20 carbon atoms
behenyl alcohol (1-docosanol) -- 22 carbon atoms
erucyl alcohol (cis-13-docosen-1-ol) -- 22 carbon atoms, unsaturated, CH₃(CH₂)₇CH=CH(CH₂)₁₂OH
lignoceryl alcohol (1-tetracosanol) -- 24 carbon atoms
ceryl alcohol (1-hexacosanol) -- 26 carbon atoms
montanyl alcohol, cluytyl alcohol (1-octacosanol) -- 28 carbon atoms
myricyl alcohol, melissyl alcohol (1-triacontanol) -- 30 carbon atoms
geddyl alcohol (1-tetratriacontanol) -- 34 carbon atoms

Behenyl alcohol, lignoceryl alcohol, ceryl alcohol, 1-heptacosanol, montanyl alcohol, 1-nonacosanol, myricyl alcohol, 1-dotriacontanol, and geddyl alcohol are together classified as policosanol, with montanyl alcohol and myricyl alcohol being the most abundant.