Oleic acid vs Linoleic acid: what is the difference?
Oleic acid has one double bond and the body can make it, while linoleic acid has two, oxidises faster and is essential, so it has to come from food.
Sources and notes
- The sentence under the titlefrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notesThe pair's answer line.
- The two drawingscomputedMoleculeFinder rule (RDKit MCS)Drawn the same way round on the skeleton they share. Aligned; 12 atoms differ, too many to mark as one group.
- Structural similaritycomputedRDKit Morgan/Tanimoto0.88 of 1, a Morgan fingerprint Tanimoto coefficient. It measures shape, not effect.
Side by side
| Oleic acid | Linoleic acid | |
|---|---|---|
| Molecular weightCalculated PubChem | 282.5 g/molC18H34O2 | 280.4 g/molC18H32O2 |
| Hydrogen-bond donorsCalculated PubChem | 1 | 1 |
| Where each turns upEditorial MoleculeFinder food and product lists |
| |
| FamilyEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Fatty acids | Fatty acids |
| Everyday groupEditorial MoleculeFinder curated | Nutrient | Nutrient |
| Chemical groupsCalculated Found by rule (RDKit) | Carboxylic Acids | Carboxylic Acids |
| Hazard labelReported ECHA via PubChem | Warning | Warning |
| The supplier-filed hazard label's signal word, not a statement about ordinary use. | ||
| LD50Measured HSDB via PubChem | 74,000 mg/kgpure oleic acid, rat, oral | 280 mg/kgpure linoleic acid, mouse, another route |
| A single acute animal measure, here in two different species. It ranks nothing about human safety. | ||
Sources and notes
- Molecular weightcomputedPubChemComputed from the structure; the formula is under each weight.
- Hydrogen-bond donorscomputedPubChemThe hydrogens on nitrogen or oxygen that each molecule can lend to a hydrogen bond, counted from its structure.
- Where each turns upfrom sourceMoleculeFinder food and product listsEach amount is an editorial figure from our lists, not a measurement of any one product. Each mark is set by hand on the list, never inferred.
- Familyfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Everyday groupfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Chemical groupscomputedFound by rule (RDKit)Each group is found in the structure by a chemical pattern.
- Hazard labelfrom sourceECHA via PubChem
- LD50from sourceHSDB via PubChem
- ECHAfrom sourceAttributionSource: European Chemicals Agency, echa.europa.eu.
- Identifiersfrom sourcePubChemPubChem CID 445639 (Oleic acid) and 5280450 (Linoleic acid).
In more detail
Both are eighteen-carbon fatty acids, C18H34O2 against C18H32O2. Oleic acid has a single cis double bond and is monounsaturated; linoleic acid has two and is the parent of the omega-6 family. That second bond makes linoleic acid more prone to oxidation, which is why sunflower and corn oil go rancid faster than olive oil and why olive oil keeps longer on a shelf and holds up to moderate heat. Linoleic acid is essential: the human body cannot introduce a double bond that far along the chain, so it must come from food, while oleic acid the body makes for itself. Oleic acid is most of olive oil, and the kink its double bond puts in the chain is why olive oil pours at room temperature where butter stays firm.
Sources and notes
- The paragraphfrom sourceMoleculeFinder comparison notes
Questions
- What is the difference between Oleic acid and Linoleic acid?
- Oleic acid has one double bond and the body can make it, while linoleic acid has two, oxidises faster and is essential, so it has to come from food.
- Is Oleic acid bigger than Linoleic acid?
- Oleic acid is the heavier molecule, 282.5 g/mol against 280.4 g/mol for Linoleic acid. Oleic acid is C18H34O2 and Linoleic acid is C18H32O2.
Sources and notes
- The answersfrom sourceMoleculeFinderThe first is the pair's answer line; the others are read off the table above.