= Squalene
<Squalene> is a thirty-carbon unsaturated <hydrocarbon>, $\mathrm{C_{30}H_{50}}$, with six carbon–carbon double bonds.<NIST Chemistry WebBook, SRD 69>[Squalene, CAS111-02-4: formula and all-trans connectivity]{ref} Its long chain can be folded and cyclized during the biosynthesis of <sterols>, making it a useful connection between an acyclic precursor and complex fused-ring structures.
The sequence and geometry of the double bonds matter: they determine which groups can approach during a cyclization. Biological pathways use enzymes to control that geometry and the reaction cascade. <Hydrogenation> of the double bonds changes the compound's identity, rather than merely purifying the original <squalene>.
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