What Does Stearate Mean?
Stearate is an ester of stearic acid. The term stearic has its origin in French and is taken from the word stearique. This was a modification of the Greek word stear which means tallow. Stearate is a salt of this fatty acid and obtained by the esterification of stearic acid. A fatty acid is an acid which possesses a carboxylic group. Its chain of carbon atoms may be saturated or unsaturated (presence of double or triple bonds). They are obtained by processing natural fats and oils. The chains may be short having four carbons atoms or more. In terms of IUPAC nomenclature it could be termed as octadecanoate (from octadecanoic acid). Stearate is a saturated ester as it is obtained from saturated fatty acid. It has eighteen carbon atoms in its chain.
