Caprylic acid

Caprylic acid	Last updated: 23/06/2026
(Also known as: octanoic acid; C8 acid)

Hazard alerts

The following Pesticide Hazard Tricolour (PHT) alerts are based on the data in the tables below. An absence of an alert does not imply the substance has no implications for human health, biodiversity or the environment but just that we do not have the data to form a judgement. The alerts for Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) are based on applying the FAO/WHO (Type 1) and the PAN (Type II) criteria to PPDB data. Further details on the HHP indicators are given in the tables below. Neither the PHT nor the HHP hazard alerts take account of usage patterns or exposure, thus they do not represent risk.

PHT: Environmental fate	PHT: Ecotoxicity	PHT: Human health	Highly Hazardous Pesticide
Environmental fate Low alert: Non-persistent Warning: Significant data are missing	Ecotoxicity Moderate alert: Fish acute ecotoxicity: Moderate; Daphnia acute ecotoxicity: Moderate; Daphnia chronic ecotoxicity: Moderate; Bees acute oral ecotoxicity: Moderate; Earthworms acute ecotoxicity: Moderate; Earthworms chronic ecotoxicity: Moderate	Human health Low alert

GENERAL INFORMATION

Description

A natural straight-chain saturated fatty acid found in a wide variety of plants and essential oils that has mild pesticidal activity

Example pests/issues controlled

Annual weeds

Example applications

As a herbicide: non-agricultural areas such as pavements, highways, footpaths, industrial areas; Ornamental areas; Hemp

Efficacy & activity

Evaluated via experimental trials

Appearance and life cycle

Taxonomic classification

GB regulatory status

GB COPR regulatory status

Approved

Date COPR inclusion expires

31/08/2029

GB LERAP status

EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414)

EC Regulation 1107/2009 status

Approved

Dossier rapporteur/co-rapporteur

Greece

Date EC 1107/2009 inclusion expires

31/12/2026

EU Candidate for substitution (CfS)

Listed in EU database

Yes

Approved for use (✓) under EC 1107/2009 in the following EU Member States

ATAustria	BEBelgium	BGBulgaria	CYCyprus	CZCzech Republic	DEGermany	DKDenmark	EEEstonia	ELGreece
✓				✓
ESSpain	FIFinland	FRFrance	HRCroatia	HUHungary	IEIreland	ITItaly	LTLithuania	LULuxembourg
	✓					✓
LVLatvia	MTMalta	NLNetherlands	PLPoland	PTPortugal	RORomania	SESweden	SISlovenia	SKSlovakia
						✓		✓

Approved for use (✓) under EC 1107/2009 by Mutual Recognition of Authorisation and/or national regulations in the following EEA countries

ISIceland	NONorway

Additional information

Also used in

USA

Chemical structure

Isomerism

None

Chemical formula

C₈H₁₆O₂

Canonical SMILES

CCCCCCCC(=O)O

Isomeric SMILES

International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey)

WWZKQHOCKIZLMA-UHFFFAOYSA-N

International Chemical Identifier (InChI)

InChI=1S/C8H16O2/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8(9)10/h2-7H2,1H3,(H,9,10)

2D structure diagram/image available?

Yes

General status

Biopesticide type

Herbicide; Insecticide; Acaricide; Plant Growth Regulator; Other substance

Other bioactivity & uses

Antimicrobial; Microbiocide

Substance groups

Carboxylic acid compound; Plant-derived substance

Minimum active substance purity

980 g kg⁻¹

Known relevant impurities

2022 EU dossier: None declared

Substance origin

Natural

Mode of action

Non-selective burndown - dessicant

Insecticide behavioural & physiological effects

Substance source

Wide spread in plants and essential oils

Uses

Amenity weed control.

Farming system suitability

CAS RN

124-07-2

Alternative/old CAS RN

287111-06-2; 68937-74-6

EC number

204-677-5

CIPAC number

887

US EPA chemical code

PubChem CID

379

Molecular mass (Da)

144.21

PIN (Preferred Identification Name)

n-octanoic acid

IUPAC name

n-octanoic acid

CAS name

n-octanoic acid

Global Governance status: Listed (✓) under

UK Poisons List Order 1972	Rotterdam Convention	Montreal Protocol
XNo The Poisons List Order 1972	XNo Rotterdam Convention	XNo Montreal Protocol
Stockholm Convention	OSPAR	EU Water Framework Directive
XNo Stockholm Convention	XNo OSPAR	XNo EU Water Framework Directive

Relevant Environmental Water Quality Standards

FEMA=2799

Forever chemical

Highly Hazardous Pesticide (HHP)

Type I

Type II

Other status information

Some applications may be approved under the GB Biocide Products Regulations but expire August 2025.

Herbicide Resistance Class (HRAC MoA class)

None allocated

Herbicide Resistance Class (WSSA MoA class)

Insecticide Resistance Class (IRAC MoA class)

Not applicable

Fungicide Resistance Class (FRAC MOA class)

Not applicable

Examples of recorded resistance

Physical state

A colourless oily liquid with racid odour

Related substances & organisms

caprylic acid potassium salt

capric acid

linoleic acid

fatty acids (generic C7-C20)

fatty acids unsaturated potassium salts (generic C7-C18)

acypetacs

Commercial

Property

Value

Availability status

Current

Introduction & key dates

1997, first introduced for food processing

Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically

Certis Biologicals
Nufarm
Westbridge Agricultural Products

Example products using this active

Formulation and application details

Typically formulated as an emulsifiable concentrate, soluble concentrate, or ready-to-use liquid.

Commercial production

Caprylic acid is commercially produced through several methods, with one approach involving microbial fermentation and chain elongation. In this process, specialised bacteria, often from the Clostridium genus, are cultivated in bioreactors and fed substrates rich in ethanol or acetate. These microbes perform reverse beta-oxidation, elongating short-chain fatty acids into medium-chain ones like caprylic acid. The fermentation broth is then processed to extract and purify the caprylic acid, often using phase separation or membrane filtration techniques. It can also be extracted from coconut oil and palm seed kernel.

Impact on climate of production and use

As microbial-based products tend to use fermentation-based production processes rather than chemical synthesis, they typically have a lower fossil fuel input in formulation and active ingredient creation, and also have reduced downstream emissions due to biodegradability and minimal soil disruption, their life-cycle GHG emissions are expected to be low. Whilst hard and precise data is not available, broad estimates suggest that typically emissions are likely to be below 5 kg CO₂e/kg.

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE

Property

Value

Source; quality score; and other information

Interpretation

Solubility - In water at 20 °C at pH 7 (mg l⁻¹)

6300

High

Solubility - In organic solvents at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)

250000

n-Heptane

250000

Methanol

250000

Acetone

25000

Ethyl acetate

Melting point (°C)

Boiling point (°C)

240.2

Degradation point (°C)

Flashpoint (°C)

Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20 °C

1.02 X 10⁰¹

Calculated

Log P

1.01

Low

Fat solubility of residues

Solubility

Data type

Density (g ml⁻¹)

Dissociation constant pKa) at 25 °C

Vapour pressure at 20 °C (mPa)

40.0

Highly volatile. If applied directly to plants or soil, drift is a concern & mitigation is advisable

Henry's law constant at 25 °C (Pa m³ mol⁻¹)

9.2 X 10^-03

Non-volatile

Volatilisation as max % of applied dose lost

From plant surface

From soil surface

Maximum UV-vis absorption L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹

pH 2: 210nm=51, pH 6: 201nm=50, pH11: 219nm=19; No absorption 290-700nm

Surface tension (mN m⁻¹)

30.7

90% saturated solution at 20 °C

Degradation

Property

Value

Source; quality score; and other information

Interpretation

General biodegradability

Soil degradation (days) (Aerobic conditions)

DT₅₀ (typical)

1.3

Non-persistent

DT₅₀ (lab at 20 °C)

1.3

Non-persistent

DT₅₀ (field)

DT₉₀ (lab at 20 °C)

5.34

Non-persistent

DT₉₀ (field)

DT₅₀ modelling endpoint

Note

EU 2022 dossier: Lab studies DT₅₀ (normalised) range 0.7-1.7 days, DT₉₀ (measured) range 5.07-5.55 days, Soils=4

Soil mineralisation

Aerobic (at 20 °C)

Anaerobic (at 20 °C)

Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on plant matrix

Value

Note

Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on and in plant matrix

Value

Note

Aqueous photolysis DT₅₀ (days) at pH 7

Value

Note

Aqueous hydrolysis DT₅₀ (days) at 20 °C and pH 7

Value

Note

Water-sediment DT₅₀ (days)

Water phase only DT₅₀ (days)

Sediment phase only DT₅₀ (days)

Air degradation

As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below.

Decay in stored produce DT₅₀

Soil adsorption and mobility

Property

Value

Source; quality score; and other information

Interpretation

Linear

K_d (mL g⁻¹)

K_oc (mL g⁻¹)

Notes and range

Freundlich

K_f (mL g⁻¹)

K_foc (mL g⁻¹)

¹/_n

Notes and range

pH sensitivity

Known soil and groundwater metabolites

None

Other known metabolites

Metabolite name and reference

Aliases

Formation medium / Rate

Estimated maximum occurrence fraction

carbon dioxide

1.00

ECOTOXICOLOGY

Terrestrial ecotoxicology

Property

Value

Source; quality score; and other information

Interpretation

Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)

> 2000

Rat

Low

Mammals - Short Term Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)

Mammals - Long Term (Chronic) Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)

Birds - Acute LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)

Birds - Short term dietary LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)

Birds - Chronic 21d NOEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)

Earthworms - Acute 14 day LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ dw soil)

300

Eisenia foetida corr

Moderate

Earthworms - Chronic NOEC, reproduction (mg kg⁻¹ dw soil)

Eisenia foetida corr

Moderate

Soil micro-organisms

Nitrogen mineralisation: No significant adverse effect
Carbon mineralisation: No significant adverse effect

Collembola

Acute LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)

Chronic NOEC (mg kg⁻¹)

Non-target plants

Vegetative vigour ER₅₀ (g ha⁻¹)

> 3860

Brassica napus

Seedling emergence ER₅₀ (g ha⁻¹)

> 45120

Brassica napus

Honeybees (Apis spp.)

Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)

122

Apis mellifera

Low

Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)

> 96.1

Apis mellifera

Moderate

Unknown mode acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)

Chronic

Notes

Bumblebees (Bombus spp.)

Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)

Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)

Mason bees (Osmia spp.)

Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)

Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)

Other bee species (1)

Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)

Mode of exposure

Other bee species (2)

Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)

Mode of exposure

Beneficial insects (Ladybirds)

Beneficial insects (Lacewings) as Mortality LR₅₀ g ha⁻¹, Aged residues

12510

Chrysoperla carnea Larva

Low

Beneficial insects (Parasitic wasps) as Mortality LR₅₀ g ha⁻¹, Glass plate

282.5

Aphidius rhopalosiphi

Low

Beneficial insects (Predatory mites) as Mortality LR₅₀ g ha⁻¹, Glass plate

1689

Typhlodromus pyri

Low

Beneficial insects (Ground beetles)

Beneficial insects (Butterflies)

Contact

Notes

Oral

Notes

Aquatic ecotoxicology

Property

Value

Source; quality score; and other information

Interpretation

Temperate Freshwater Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)

> 14.1

Oncorhynchus mykiss

Moderate

Temperate Freshwater Fish - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)

Tropical Freshwater Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)

Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)

16.02

Daphnia magna

Moderate

Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)

0.38

Daphnia magna

Moderate

Tropical Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)

Aquatic crustaceans - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)

Sediment dwelling organisms - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)

Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, static, water (mg l⁻¹)

Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, sediment (mg kg⁻¹)

Aquatic Plants (free-floating, fonds growth, fresh) - 7 day (mg l⁻¹) (ErC₅₀)

> 5.98

Lemna gibba

Moderate

Aquatic plants (rooted, growth rate, fresh) - 14 day (mg l⁻¹)

Algae - Acute (growth rate, fresh; mg l⁻¹) (72 hr ErC₅₀, Static)

0.964

Raphidocelis subcapitata

Moderate

Algae - Chronic (growth rate, fresh; mg l⁻¹)

Mesocosm study data

NOEAEC mg l⁻¹

Marine bivalves

Regulatory Threshold Levels (RTLs)

Note: These RTLs have been calculated using the regulatory approach used in the European Union and based on ecotoxocity values in the PPDB.

Species group

RTL

Notes

Mammals

200

Worst case of acute and chronic mammals

Birds

No data

No data for acute and chronic birds

Soil organisms

10.2

Worst case of acute and chronic earthworms

Terrestrial plants

386

Worst case of non-target plants vegetative vigour and seedling emergence

Pollinators

1.922

Worst case of contact and oral honeybees

Arthropods

141.25

Worst case of parasitic wasps and predatory mites

Fish

0.141

Worst case of temperate acute and chronic fish

Aquatic invertebrates

0.038

Worst case of temperate acute and chronic aquatic invertebrates

Aquatic plants

0.0964

Worst case of free-floating plants, rooted plants, acute and chronic algae

HUMAN HEALTH AND PROTECTION

General

Property

Value

Source; quality score; and other information

Interpretation

Threshold of Toxicological Concern (Cramer Class)

Low (class I)

Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)

> 2000

Rat

Low

Mammals - Short Term Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)

Mammals - Long Term (Chronic) Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)

Mammals - Dermal LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ body weight)

> 2000

Rat

Mammals - Inhalation LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)

> 5.0

Rat

Other Mammal toxicity endpoints

ADI - Acceptable Daily Intake (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)

None allocated

ARfD - Acute Reference Dose (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)

None allocated

AAOEL - Acute Acceptable Operator Exposure Level (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)

None allocated

AOEL - Acceptable Operator Exposure Level - Systemic (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)

None allocated

Dermal penetration studies (%)

25-70

concentration dependent data for product

Dangerous Substances Directive 76/464

Exposure Routes

Public

Very low risk for public and consumers

Occupational

Very low risk for operators and farm workers

Mammalian dose elimination route and rate

Rapidly absorbed, metabolised by the body. Only carbon dioxide is excreted.

Health issues

Specific human health issues (hazard-based)

Carcinogen

Genotoxic

Endocrine disruptor

; ; ; ;

Reproduction / development effects

Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor

Neurotoxicant

Respiratory tract irritant

Skin irritant

Skin sensitiser

No data found

Eye irritant

Phototoxicant

General human health issues

No further information available

Handling issues

Property

Value and interpretation

General

Lipophilic
Not high;y flammable; Not expected to auto-ignite
Not explorive or oxidising
Corrosive
IMDG Transport Hazard Class 8

CLP classification 2013

Health: H314
Environment: H412

WHO Classification

Not listed

UN Number

UN3265

Waste disposal & packaging

Packaging Group III (minor danger)

Shelf-life, storage, stability and reactivity

TRANSLATIONS

Language

Name

English

caprylic acid

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German

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Italian

Spanish

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Polish

Swedish

Hungarian

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Record last updated:	23/06/2026
Contact:	aeru@herts.ac.uk
Please cite as:	Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242

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