ricinoleic acid


noun Chemistry.

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

First recorded in 1840–50

Words nearby ricinoleic acid

British Dictionary definitions for ricinoleic acid

ricinoleic acid
/ (ˌrɪsɪnəʊˈliːɪk, -ˈnəʊlɪɪk) /

noun

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
the mixture of fatty acids obtained by hydrolysing castor oil

Word Origin for ricinoleic acid

C19: from ricin + oleic acid