g. Mosquitoes and other biting insects can cause a great deal of discomfort. They can also spread diseases that threaten public health in many areas of the world. The seed oil of a plant commonly called the physic nut is burned in lamps in India and parts of Africa to repel biting insects, especially mosquitoes. A scientific investigation was done to identify which chemicals in the oil were responsible for deterring mosquitoes. Three chemicals in the oil, specifically palmitic, linoleic and stearic acids, were tested to determine their effectiveness against mosquitoes that spread two deadly diseases in Africa, yellow fever and dengue fever. In the study, palmitic acid was determined to be the most effective chemical, providing three times the protection of stearic acid and was ten percentage points higher in protection than linoleic acid. The effectivness precentages of stearic acid plus linoleic acid together were five percentage points higher than palmitic acid. What is the effectiveness of stearic acid in repelling mosquitoes? Review​