Heptadecane served as an internal standard in the experiment, facilitating the initial direct comparison of kava lactone extraction efficiencies. Additionally, it functioned as the suitable suspended solvent for extracting and concentrating essential oil (EO).
Heptadecane imparts an alkane-like taste and has been detected, though not quantified, in various foods such as lemon balm, coconuts, orange bell peppers, allspice, and pepper (C. annuum). This characteristic suggests its potential utility as a biomarker for the consumption of these foods.
Heptadecane, chemically represented as CH3-[CH2]15-CH3, falls within the category of alkanes, which are organic compounds characterized by acyclic branched or unbranched hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. These compounds consist solely of hydrogen and saturated carbon atoms. Heptadecane exhibits strong hydrophobic properties, rendering it practically insoluble in water and relatively neutral. Consequently, it is classified as a hydrocarbon lipid molecule. With a chemical formula of C17H36, heptadecane is an alkane hydrocarbon. Although the most compact and branched isomer theoretically would be tetra-tert-butylmethane, its existence is deemed impossible due to steric hindrance. The term "heptadecane" may refer to any of the 24,894 theoretically possible structural isomers or a mixture thereof.
