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

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British Dictionary definitions for ricinoleic acid

ricinoleic acid

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

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