描述
N-tricosane, also known as ch3-[ch2]21-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, N-tricosane is considered to be a hydrocarbon lipid molecule. N-tricosane is an alkane and waxy tasting compound and can be found in a number of food items such as kohlrabi, papaya, coconut, and ginkgo nuts, which makes N-tricosane a potential biomarker for the consumption of these food products. N-tricosane can be found primarily in saliva. The term higher alkanes is sometimes used literally as "alkanes with a higher number of carbon atoms". One definition distinguishes the higher alkanes as the n-alkanes that are solid under natural conditions .