Stearic acid is a 16-carbon saturated fatty acid that is a precursor of the unsaturated fatty acid, oleic acid.
See also: Fatty Acids,
Table 10.1, Synthesis
of Long Chain Fatty Acids, Fatty Acid Desaturation, Fatty Acid Synthase,
Palmitate Synthesis from Acetyl-CoA,
Fatty Acyl-CoA Desaturase