ethanolamide

{{Short description|Class of chemical compounds}}

File:Anandamide skeletal.svg]]

Ethanolamides are chemical compounds which are amides formed from carboxylic acids and ethanolamine. Some ethanolamides are naturally occurring, such as anandamide, palmitoylethanolamide and prostamides, which play physiological roles as lipid neurotransmitters and autacoids.

The crystal structure of the membrane enzyme NAPE-PLD has revealed how these endogenous ethanolamides are generated from cell membranes, and that bile acids play a role in their production.{{cite journal | vauthors = Magotti P, Bauer I, Igarashi M, Babagoli M, Marotta R, Piomelli D, Garau G | title = Structure of Human N-Acylphosphatidylethanolamine-Hydrolyzing Phospholipase D: Regulation of Fatty Acid Ethanolamide Biosynthesis by Bile Acids | journal = Structure | volume = 23 | issue = 3 | date = Dec 2014 | doi = 10.1016/j.str.2014.12.018 | pmid=25684574 | pages=598–604 | pmc=4351732}}

Ethanolamides can be prepared synthetically by heating esters with ethanolamine.{{cite journal | last1 = Phillips | first1 = Arthur P. | title = Ethanolamides of Some Mono- and Dicarboxylic Acids | journal = Journal of the American Chemical Society | volume = 73 | pages = 5557–5559 | year = 1951 | doi = 10.1021/ja01156a013}}