描述
Heptadecane, also known as ch3-[ch2]15-ch3, is a member of the class of compounds known as alkanes. Alkanes are acyclic branched or unbranched hydrocarbons having the general formula CnH2n+2 , and therefore consisting entirely of hydrogen atoms and saturated carbon atoms. Thus, heptadecane is considered to be a hydrocarbon lipid molecule. Heptadecane is an alkane tasting compound and can be found in a number of food items such as papaya, orange bell pepper, pepper (spice), and red bell pepper, which makes heptadecane a potential biomarker for the consumption of these food products. Heptadecane can be found primarily in saliva. The unbranched isomer is normal or n-heptadecane, CH3(CH2)15CH3. In the IUPAC nomenclature, the name of this compound is simply heptadecane, since the other isomers are viewed and named as alkyl-substituted versions of smaller alkanes .