Sterol
Chemical compound / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sterol is an organic compound[1] with formula C
17H
28O, whose molecule is derived from that of gonane by replacement of a hydrogen atom on C3 position by a hydroxyl group. It is therefore an alcohol of gonane. More generally, any compounds that contain the gonane structure, additional functional groups, and/or modified ring systems derived from gonane are called steroids. Therefore, sterols are a subgroup of the steroids. They occur naturally in most eukaryotes, including plants, animals, and fungi, and can also be produced by some bacteria (however likely with different functions).[2][3] The most familiar type of animal sterol is cholesterol, which is vital to cell membrane structure, and functions as a precursor to fat-soluble vitamins and steroid hormones.
Names | |
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IUPAC name
2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17-hexadecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-ol | |
Other names
Hexadecahydro-3H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthrene-3-ol | |
Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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ChemSpider | |
KEGG | |
PubChem CID |
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Properties | |
C17H28O | |
Molar mass | 248.410 g·mol−1 |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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While technically alcohols, sterols are classified by biochemists as lipids (fats in the broader sense of the term).