See Also: glycerol(encyclopedia)
glycerol(dictionary)
Glycerol(medicine)
iodopropylidene glycerol(medicine)
iodinated glycerol(medicine)
CDP glycerol glycerophosphotransferase(medicine)
glycerol oxidase(medicine)
glycerol kinase(medicine)
glycerol dehydratase(medicine)
Glycerol phosphate(medicine)

glycerol (sh)




or glycerin

Clear, colourless, viscous, sweet-tasting liquid organic compound of the alcohol family, chemical formula HOCH2CHOHCH2OH. With three hydroxyl (¨DOH) groups, it can form three types of esters (monoglycerides, diglycerides, and triglycerides).

Mono-and diglycerides are common food additives. Fats and oils are triglycerides; their processing into soap was the chief source of glycerol until the mid-20th century, when industrial synthesis took over. Glycerol has thousands of uses, including as an emulsifier, softening agent, plasticizer, and stabilizer in baked goods, ice cream, and tobacco; in skin lotions, mouthwashes, and cough medicines; as a protective medium for freezing red blood cells, sperm, corneas, and other tissues; in printing inks and in the gums and resins in paints and coatings; in antifreeze mixtures; as a nutrient in fermentation; and as a raw material for nitroglycerin.