It is a colorless oily liquid with an unpleasant, rancid odor.
The methyl ester of ricinoleic acid, obtained from castor bean oil, is the main commercial precursor to enanthic acid.
[2] Laboratory preparations of enanthic acid include permanganate oxidation of heptanal[3] and 1-octene.
The triglyceride ester of enanthic acid is the triheptanoin, which is used in certain medical conditions as a nutritional supplement.
Enanthic acid is toxic if swallowed and corrosive.