Overview

Stats

Type
16
Carbons
3
Double bonds
2
Bis-allylic sites
250.38
Weight · g/mol
—
Melting point
C16H26O2
Formula

Also known as

IUPAC (7Z,10Z,13Z)-hexadeca-7,10,13-trienoic acid
Systematic all-cis-7,10,13-Hexadecatrienoic acid
Synonyms

  At a Glance

Source

Primarily from plants; also in fish & seafood.

Type

Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid with 16 carbons and three cis double bonds, an omega-3 fatty acid. Its multiple bis-allylic sites make it prone to oxidation.

Identification

  Synonyms

Common Name Hexadecatrienoic acid
IUPAC Name (7Z,10Z,13Z)-hexadeca-7,10,13-trienoic acid
Traditional Name —
Other Synonyms
  • Roughanic acid
  • 7,10,13-hexadecatrienoic acid
  • all-cis-7,10,13-hexadecatrienoic acid
  • C16:3n-3
  • 16:3 n-3

  External IDs

General References
Wikipedia —
Lipids
Lipid Maps LMFA01030138
Lipid Bank DFA0177
Swiss Lipids —
PlantFA ID —
Food & Nutrition
FooDB —
INFOODS —
Chemistry / Compounds
PubChem CID 5312428
CAS —
ChEBI 22340
ChEMBL —
ChemSpider —
InChIKey —
ZINC ID —
NIKKAJI ID —
PDBe —
UCI (UniChem) —
SureChEMBL 982693
CCDC —
NMRShiftDB —
Metabolites & Pathways
HMDB —
METLIN —
RefMet ID —
RefMet Name —
MetaboLights ID —
BioCyc/MetaCyc —
MetaNetX ID —
BiGG ID —
KEGG —
KNApSAcK —
Reactome ID —
Drugs & Pharmacology
DrugBank —
DrugCentral —
BindingDB —
Guide to Pharm —
Probes & Drugs PD124579
Clinical & Medical
SNOMED-CT —
MeSH —
NCIt Code —
Regulatory
NIH UNII (USA) —
FDA SRS (USA) 3IGF6441ID
NHPID (Canada) —
DTXSID (USA) —
TGA Ing ID (Australia) —
Commercial Suppliers
eMolecules —
Mcule —
ChemicalBook —
MedChemExpress —

Isomers of 16:3 (4)

Other fatty acids sharing the 16:3 notation — differing by double-bond position, geometry (cis/trans), or conjugation.

Name Geometry Trans Structure PubChem
Current Fatty Acid
Hexadecatrienoic acid
(7Z,10Z,13Z)-hexadeca-7,10,13-trienoic acid
7Z,10Z,13Z —
5312428
Category —
Conjugation Type Isolated
SMILES CC/C=C\C/C=C\C/C=C\CCCCCC(=O)O
Description —
Origin Details

No origin information recorded.

Positional (3)
6Z,9Z,12Z-Hexadecatrienoic Acid
(6Z,9Z,12Z)-hexadeca-6,9,12-trienoic acid
6Z,9Z,12Z —
5282811
Category Omega-4 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid
Conjugation Type Isolated
SMILES CCC\C=C/C\C=C/C\C=C/CCCCC(=O)O
Description A 16-carbon omega-4 polyunsaturated fatty acid characteristic of marine diatoms (notably Phaeodactylum tricornutum), used as a chemotaxonomic marker for Bacillariophyta lipid profiles.
Origin Details
Origin Source Type Details
Marine Diatoms Natural Major fatty acid (~10% of total lipids) of Phaeodactylum tricornutum and other Bacillariophyta; produced via Δ12 desaturation of 16:2 in chloroplast membranes.
4Z,7Z,10Z-Hexadecatrienoic Acid
(4Z,7Z,10Z)-hexadeca-4,7,10-trienoic acid
4Z,7Z,10Z —
5282809
Category Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid
Conjugation Type Isolated
SMILES CCCCC\C=C/C\C=C/C\C=C/CCC(=O)O
Description A 16-carbon omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid found in marine microalgae and some chrysophyte lipids, generated by chain-shortening of arachidonic-pathway intermediates.
Origin Details
Origin Source Type Details
Marine Microalgae Natural Present in marine chrysophyte and prymnesiophyte microalgae as a chain-shortened metabolite of arachidonic acid pathway intermediates.
(2E,4E,6E)-Hexadecatrienoic acid
(2E,4E,6E)-hexadeca-2,4,6-trienoic acid
2E,4E,6E Trans
6506600
Category Conjugated all-trans Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid
Conjugation Type Conjugated
SMILES CCCCCCCCC/C=C/C=C/C=C/C(=O)O
Description A 16-carbon all-trans CONJUGATED trienoic acid (double bonds at 2,4,6 from the carboxyl end, i.e. n-10). Separated on 2026-08-20 from the n-3 entry now called PUFA_16_3_7c10c13c_n3_HTA, whose structure fields had been populated from this compound’s PubChem record (CID 6506600). Excluded as a nutrition entry: it is not a recognised dietary fatty acid, unlike the methylene-interrupted 16:3 n-3 acid.
Origin Details

No origin information recorded.

Chemical Properties

Name(s):
Common Name Hexadecatrienoic acid
Abbreviation HTA
Simple Notation 16:3
Notation 16:3(n-3)
IUPAC Name (7Z,10Z,13Z)-hexadeca-7,10,13-trienoic acid
Semi-systematic all-cis-7,10,13-Hexadecatrienoic acid
Structure:
Molecular C16H26O2
SMILES CC/C=C\C/C=C\C/C=C\CCCCCC(=O)O
Cis / Trans cis
E-Z 7Z,10Z,13Z
Physical:
Weight 250.38 g/mol
Reactivity
Double Bonds 3
Bis-Allylic Carbons 2 (High Reactivity)
Beta-Oxidation
Beta Oxidation Cycles 7
ATP Yield (Net) 101.5 ATP