MOLECULE

Eicosadienoic acid

Eicosadienoic acid, also known as eicosadienoate, belongs to the class of organic compounds known as long-chain fatty acids. It is a naturally occurring omega-6 fatty acid found in human milk. Omega-6 fatty acids are a family of unsaturated fatty acids which have a carbon-carbon double bond in the n‚àí6 position in common, that is, the sixth bond from the end of the fatty acid. These are unbranched fatty acids with an aliphatic tail that contains between 13 and 21 carbon atoms. Eicosadienic acid is a weakly acidic compound (based on its pKa). Fatty acid biosynthesis occurs through the acetate pathway and the process is catalyzed by the Fatty Acid Synthase (FAS). Structurally, FAS varies significantly across different organisms but essentially, they all perform the same task using the same mechanisms. Eicosadienoic acid has been detected in black walnut and it is one of several fatty acids that are known in cannabis plants (PMID: 28448475). Eicosadienoic acid is also a constituent of cannabis smoke and is volatilized during the combustion of cannabis (https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-947-9_2).