Pentadecylic acid

Pentadecylic acid, also known as pentadecanoic acid or C15:0, is an odd-chain saturated fatty acid. Its molecular formula is CH3(CH2)13CO2H. It is a colorless solid.

A laboratory preparation involves permanganate oxidation of 1-hexadecene (CH3(CH2)13CH\dCH2).

It is one of the most common odd-chain fatty acids, although it is rare in nature. Pentadecylic acid is found primarily in dairy fat, as well as in ruminant meat and some fish and plants. The butterfat in cow milk is its major dietary source, comprising 1.2% of cow milk fat.

Rare genetic disorders causing unusually high concentrations of C15:0 and C17:0, including Refsum disease, Zellweger Syndrome, and propionic acidemia, confirmed endogenous synthesis of these odd-chain FAs in humans, involving alpha-oxidation.

Research
Pentadecanoic acid has been compared to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) to evaluate the possibility that pentadecanoic acid is a previously unrecognized essential fatty acid.