Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 25, 2026

Palmitoleic acid

Palmitoleic acid, or (9Z)-hexadec-9-enoic acid, is an omega-7 monounsaturated fatty acid (16:1n-7) with the formula CH3(CH2)5CH=CH(CH2)7COOH. It is a rare component of fats. It is present in all tissues but, in general, is found in higher concentrations in the liver.

Last revised
Jul 25, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
348 w
Citations
5
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Palmitoleic acid
source ↗
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
(9Z)-Hexadec-9-enoic acid
Other names
Palmitoleic acid
cis-Palmitoleic acid
9-cis-Hexadecenoic acid
C16:1 (Lipid numbers)
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.006.151
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C16H30O2/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16(17)18/h7-8H,2-6,9-15H2,1H3,(H,17,18)/b8-7- ☒N
    Key: SECPZKHBENQXJG-FPLPWBNLSA-N ☒N
  • InChI=1/C16H30O2/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16(17)18/h7-8H,2-6,9-15H2,1H3,(H,17,18)/b8-7-
    Key: SECPZKHBENQXJG-FPLPWBNLBE
  • O=C(O)CCCCCCC\C=C/CCCCCC
Properties
C16H30O2
Molar mass 254.414 g·mol−1
Density 0.894 g/cm3
Melting point −0.1 °C (31.8 °F; 273.0 K)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
☒N verify (what is checkY☒N ?)

Palmitoleic acid, or (9Z)-hexadec-9-enoic acid, is an omega-7 monounsaturated fatty acid (16:1n-7) with the formula CH3(CH2)5CH=CH(CH2)7COOH. It is a rare component of fats.1 It is present in all tissues but, in general, is found in higher concentrations in the liver.

It is biosynthesized from palmitic acid by the action of the enzyme Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1. Palmitoleic acid exists in two isomers, cis and trans.

Natural sources

Palmitoleic acid is found in trace amounts in most foods except for sardine oil, which contains 15% of this acid as a component of triglycerides.1

Other dietary sources of palmitoleic acid include breast milk,2 a variety of animal fats, vegetable oils, and marine oils. Avocado oil, Macadamia oil (Macadamia integrifolia), and sea buckthorn oil (Hippophae rhamnoides) are botanical sources with high concentrations, containing 7-12%, 17% and 19-29% palmitoleic acid, respectively..34

Mink oil is also a source of palmitoleic acid.

References

References

  1. Anneken, David J.; Both, Sabine; Christoph, Ralf; Fieg, Georg; Steinberner, Udo; Westfechtel, Alfred (2006). "Fatty Acids". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. doi:10.1002/14356007.a10_245.pub2. ISBN 978-3-527-30385-4.
  2. Ogunleye A, Fakoya AT, Niizeki S, Tojo H, Sasajima I, Kobayashi M, Tateishi S, Yamaguchi K (1991). "Fatty acid composition of breast milk from Nigerian and Japanese women". J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 37 (4): 435–42. doi:10.3177/jnsv.37.435. PMID 1765848.
  3. "Nuts, macadamia nuts, raw". NutritionData.com.
  4. Li, Thomas S. C.; Thomas H. J. Beveridge (2003). Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.): Production and Utilization. Ottawa, Ontario: NRC Research Press. pp. 54–55. ISBN 0-660-19007-9. Archived from the original on 2010-12-30.