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[Biochemistry](https://durgical.com/en/biochemistry/) · Molecule

# Palmitate (palmitic acid)

Palmitate is the 16-carbon saturated fatty acid the body makes and the most common one in human fat.

Updated 2026-11-01

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## Key facts

- End product of fatty acid synthase: 8 acetyl-CoA, 7 ATP and 14 NADPH.
- Its complete β-oxidation yields about 106 net ATP: 7 turns, 8 acetyl-CoA.
- To enter the mitochondrion it is activated to palmitoyl-CoA and crosses as palmitoylcarnitine.
- At physiological pH it exists as the anion (palmitate); in blood it travels bound to albumin.

**Also called**
Hexadecanoic acid, C16:0

**Formula**
C₁₆H₃₂O₂

**PubChem**
[CID 985](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/985)

## Structure

- A straight chain of 16 carbons with no double bonds and a carboxyl group at one end.
- Desaturases and elongases turn it into stearate (C18:0), palmitoleate and oleate.

## Clinical notes

- Dietary saturated fats such as palmitate are linked to higher LDL.
- It is the main fatty acid of lung surfactant (dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine).

## Pathways

- [Fatty acid synthesis (lipogenesis)](https://durgical.com/en/biochemistry/pathways/fatty-acid-synthesis/)
- [Fatty acid β-oxidation](https://durgical.com/en/biochemistry/pathways/fatty-acid-oxidation/)

## Related conditions

- [Obesity](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/obesity/)
- [Atherosclerosis and dyslipidaemia](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/atherosclerosis-and-dyslipidaemia/)

## Related

- [Fatty acid synthase (FAS)](https://durgical.com/en/biochemistry/enzymes/fatty-acid-synthase/)
- [Acetyl-CoA](https://durgical.com/en/biochemistry/molecules/acetyl-coa/)
- [Carnitine (L-carnitine)](https://durgical.com/en/biochemistry/molecules/carnitine/)
- [Carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT-I)](https://durgical.com/en/biochemistry/enzymes/carnitine-palmitoyltransferase-i/)
- [Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL)](https://durgical.com/en/biochemistry/enzymes/hormone-sensitive-lipase/)
- [Malonyl-CoA](https://durgical.com/en/biochemistry/molecules/malonyl-coa/)

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## How many net ATP does complete β-oxidation of palmitate give?

About 106: 108 from 7 FADH₂, 7 NADH and 8 acetyl-CoA, minus 2 for activation.

## Which fatty acid forms most of lung surfactant?

Palmitate, in dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine.

## In what form does palmitate cross the inner mitochondrial membrane?

As palmitoylcarnitine, through carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase.

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Molecules are shown in their neutral form, as the databases deposit them; in the cell the acids and phosphates are ionised.

Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.

Sources: [Palmitic Acid (CID 985)](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/985) (PubChem, NCBI, 2026) · Public domain; [Fatty acyl-CoA biosynthesis](https://reactome.org/PathwayBrowser/#/R-HSA-75105) (Reactome, 2026); [mitochondrial fatty acid beta-oxidation of saturated fatty acids](https://reactome.org/PathwayBrowser/#/R-HSA-77286) (Reactome, 2026).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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