Triolein is a symmetrical
triglyceride
A triglyceride (TG, triacylglycerol, TAG, or triacylglyceride) is an ester derived from glycerol and three fatty acids (from ''tri-'' and ''glyceride'').
Triglycerides are the main constituents of body fat in humans and other vertebrates, as ...
derived from glycerol and three units of the unsaturated
fatty acid
In chemistry, particularly in biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with an aliphatic chain, which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have an unbranched chain of an even number of carbon atoms, f ...
oleic acid
Oleic acid is a fatty acid that occurs naturally in various animal and vegetable fats and oils. It is an odorless, colorless oil, although commercial samples may be yellowish. In chemical terms, oleic acid is classified as a monounsaturated o ...
. Most triglycerides are unsymmetrical, being derived from mixtures of fatty acids. Triolein represents 4–30% of
olive oil
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: ...
.
Triolein is also known as glyceryl trioleate and is one of the two components of
Lorenzo's oil
''Lorenzo's Oil'' is a 1992 American drama film directed and co-written by George Miller. It is based on the true story of Augusto and Michaela Odone, parents who search for a cure for their son Lorenzo's adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), leading t ...
.
The oxidation of triolein is according to the formula:
: + 80 → 57 + 52
This gives a
respiratory quotient of
or 0.7125. The heat of combustion is per mole or per gram. Per mole of oxygen it is .
References
Triglycerides
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