Hexadecyl hexadecanoate, also known as Cetyl palmitate, is the

ester In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides ...

derived from hexadecanoic acid and hexadecanol. This white waxy solid is the primary constituent of

spermaceti Spermaceti is a waxy substance found in the head cavities of the sperm whale (and, in smaller quantities, in the oils of other whales). Spermaceti is created in the spermaceti organ inside the whale's head. This organ may contain as much as of s ...

, the once highly prized wax found in the skull of

sperm whale The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus '' Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale famil ...

s.Wilhelm Riemenschneider and Hermann M. Bolt "Esters, Organic" Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2005, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. Cetyl palmitate is a component of some solid lipid nanoparticles.

Stony coral Scleractinia, also called stony corals or hard corals, are marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that build themselves a hard skeleton. The individual animals are known as polyps and have a cylindrical body crowned by an oral disc in which a m ...

s, which build the

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...

s, contain large amounts of cetyl palmitate wax in their tissues, which may function in part as an antifeedant.Dobretsov, S.; Al-Wahaibi, A. S. M.; Lai, D.; Al-Sabahi, J.; Claereboudt, M.; Proksch, P.; Soussi, B., "Inhibition of Bacterial Fouling by Soft Coral Natural Products", International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation 2015, volume 98, 53-58.

References

Fatty acid esters Palmitate esters Waxes {{Ester-stub