Caproic acid

Caproic acid, also known as hexanoic acid, is the carboxylic acid derived from hexane with the chemical formula CH3(CH2)4COOH. It is a colorless oily liquid with a fatty, cheesy, waxy odor resembling that of goats or other barnyard animals. It is a fatty acid found naturally in various animal fats and oils, and is one of the chemicals that gives the decomposing fleshy seed coat of the ginkgo its characteristic unpleasant odor. It is also one of the components of vanilla and cheese. Salts and esters of caproic acid are known as caproates or hexanoates. It was first isolated by French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul in 1816. Two other acids are named after goats: caprylic acid (C8) and capric acid (C10). Along with caproic acid, they account for 15% of the fat in goat milk. Caproic, caprylic, and capric acids (capric is a crystal- or wax-like substance, whereas the other two are mobile liquids) are used for the formation of esters, and also commonly used "neat" in: butter, milk, cream, strawberry, bread, beer, nut, and other flavors.