Docosahexaenoic acid
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docosahexaenoic acid | |||||||
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Uses: | natural nutrient | ||||||
Properties: | omega-3 fatty acid | ||||||
Hazards: | |||||||
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Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), more correctly called docosa-4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z-hexaenoic acid, is a naturally occurring omega-3 fatty acid. It is a fatty acid that contains a linear chain of twenty-two carbon atoms, with double bonds occurring at six positions, all with the cis configuration. It is called an omega-3 fatty acid because from the aliphatic end of the molecule, always referred to as the omega carbon, the first double bond occurs at carbon 20, the omega-3 carbon. Like other omega-3 fatty acids, it can be found in fish. Most of the DHA in fish and other more complex organisms originates in microalgae of the genus Schizochytrium, and concentrates in organisms as it moves up the food chain.[1]
Synonyms
- 4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid
- cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid
- (4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z)-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid (IUPAC)
- all Z-docosahexaenoic acid
- all cis-docosahexaenoic acid
- Cervonic acid
- Cervonate
References
- ↑ 3Dchem.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-07.