Docosahexaenoic acid

(CC) Image: David E. Volk
docosahexaenoic acid
IUPAC name: Synonyms: cervonic acid, cervonate Formula: C22H32O2
Uses:	natural nutrient
Properties:	omega-3 fatty acid
Hazards:
Mass (g/mol): CAS #: 328.48831 6217-54-5

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), more correctly called docosa-4Z,7Z,10Z,13Z,16Z,19Z-hexaenoic acid, is a naturally occuring omega-3 fatty acid. It is a fatty acid that contains a linear chain of twenty-two carbon atoms, with double bonds occuring 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 19, the omega-3 carbon. Like other omega-3 fatty acids, it can be found in fish.

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