A hydrocarbon radical or group derived from cetane, commonly used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and industrial products.
From Latin 'cetus' (whale) plus the chemical suffix '-yl', originally because spermaceti (from whale oil) was a major source before synthetic production.
Cetyl compounds are in practically every lotion and shampoo you use—they were originally extracted from whale blubber, but now we make them synthetically without harming whales!
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