| Description |
Pentacosane, also known as ch3-[ch2]23-ch3, is a member of the class of compounds known as alkanes. Alkanes are acyclic branched or unbranched hydrocarbons having the general formula CnH2n+2 , and therefore consisting entirely of hydrogen atoms and saturated carbon atoms. Thus, pentacosane is considered to be a hydrocarbon lipid molecule. Pentacosane can be found in a number of food items such as ginkgo nuts, papaya, black elderberry, and cardamom, which makes pentacosane a potential biomarker for the consumption of these food products. The term higher alkanes is sometimes used literally as "alkanes with a higher number of carbon atoms". One definition distinguishes the higher alkanes as the n-alkanes that are solid under natural conditions . |
