Editing Fatty acid (section)

==Industrial uses==
Fatty acids are mainly used in the production of [[soap]], both for cosmetic purposes and, in the case of [[metallic soap]]s, as lubricants. Fatty acids are also converted, via their methyl esters, to [[fatty alcohol]]s and [[fatty amine]]s, which are precursors to surfactants, detergents, and lubricants.<ref name="Ullmann Fatty Acids"/> Other applications include their use as [[Emulsion#Emulsifiers|emulsifiers]], texturizing agents, wetting agents, [[Defoamer|anti-foam agents]], or stabilizing agents.<ref name="buildingblocks">{{cite web| url=http://www.aciscience.org/docs/Fatty_Acids_Building_Blocks_for_Industry.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423033611/http://www.aciscience.org/docs/Fatty_Acids_Building_Blocks_for_Industry.pdf |archive-date=2018-04-23 |url-status=live | title= Fatty Acids: Building Blocks for Industry | access-date=22 Apr 2018 |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=aciscience.org |publisher= American Cleaning Institute }}</ref>

Esters of fatty acids with simpler alcohols (such as methyl-, ethyl-, n-propyl-, isopropyl- and butyl esters) are used as emollients in cosmetics and other personal care products and as synthetic lubricants. Esters of fatty acids with more complex alcohols, such as [[sorbitol]], [[ethylene glycol]], [[diethylene glycol]], and [[polyethylene glycol]] are consumed in food, or used for personal care and water treatment, or used as synthetic lubricants or fluids for metal working.

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===Molecular description===
[[File:Myristic acid.svg|thumb|left|500px|Two-dimensional representation of the saturated fatty acid [[myristic acid]]]]
[[File:Myristic-acid-3D-vdW.png|thumb|left|500px|A [[space-filling model]] of the saturated fatty acid [[myristic acid]]]]  The two-dimensional illustration has implicit hydrogen atoms bonded to each of the carbon atoms in the polycarbon tail of the [[myristic acid]] molecule (there are 13 carbon atoms in the tail; 14 carbon atoms in the entire molecule).

Carbon atoms are also implicitly drawn, as they are  portrayed as [[Line-line intersection|intersections]] between two straight lines.  "Saturated", in general, refers to a maximum number of hydrogen atoms bonded to each carbon of the polycarbon tail as allowed by the [[Octet Rule]].  This also means that only [[single bond]]s ([[sigma bonds]]) will be present between adjacent carbon atoms of the tail.
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Fatty acids<ref> SD Rajput, VV Gite, PP Mahulikar, VR Thamke, KM Kodam, AS Kuwar, Renewable source based non-biodegradable polyurethane coatings from polyesteramide prepared in one-pot using oleic acid, Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 91, 1055-1063, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-014-2428-z</ref> and their derivatives like [[dimer acid]]s<ref>SD Rajput, PP Mahulikar, VV Gite, Biobased dimer fatty acid containing two pack polyurethane for wood finished coatings, Progress in Organic Coatings 77 (1), 38-46</ref> have also been used by scientists to prepare polyurethane coatings of [[bio-based]] or bio-derived [[coating]]s.