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Why is CH3(CH2)16 COOH (stearic acid) a non polar molecular substance?

April 26, 2017acid ch2 ch3 Chemistry cooh Mathematics polar stearic

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Why is CH3(CH2)16 COOH (stearic acid) a non polar molecular substance?

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Stearic acid is relatively nonpolar because it has a very long aliphatic chain (15 carbons long). The longer the aliphatic chain, the less polar the molecule. This is because the aliphatic chain is very lipophilic (likes lipids) and hydrophobic (doesn’t like water). Therefore, even though stearic acid has a carboxylic acid head group which is polar, it’s long aliphatic chain is the predominant structural feature of the compound, making it more non-polar than polar. Stearic acid, a waxy solid, is a saturated fatty acid that occurs in many animal and vegetable fats and oils. Hope this helps!!!