Chapter 9b - Unsaturated monobasic acids

Abstract

The literature on unsaturated monobasic acids is dominated by the numerous investigations of the biologically important fatty acids, such as the C20 acid—arachidonic acid; the C18 acids – oleic, linoleic and linolenic; the ω-3 fatty acids; and related compounds. A number of monographs have appeared covering a wide range of topics on unsaturated monobasic acids, mainly associated with their inclusion as fatty acids. The important compounds are provided with reference to resource and with equations to explain the processes involved. The preparation of unsaturated acids is carried out by a variety of methods, usually employing standard synthetic techniques. A section is included on the synthesis of labeled unsaturated acids that are important for studying a variety of biological problems. The section on individual unsaturated monobasic acids lists the titles of articles that describe the synthesis of specific unsaturated monobasic acids and is arranged by the number of carbon atoms in the specific acid. A list of resources is provided as reference for different unsaturated acids containing carbon atoms.