Summary Direct placental transfer of albumin-bound, labeled palmitate, stearate or linoleate administered to albino rats was very small, whether introduced by intraaortic, intra-amniotic or intra-fetal injection. Time-course experiments indicated a small indirect transfer of radioactivity initially assimilated by the tissues as TG or PL. The distribution of the assimilated FFA between tissue TG and PL was generally similar on fetal and maternal side.