Sodium Acetate
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Sodium acetate is a hygroscopic white solid that is soluble in water. It is the sodium salt of acetic acid. This compound is principally used to as an additive in foods, a preservative in pharmaceuticals, and as a buffer solution for biochemistry.
As the sodium salt of acetic acid, sodium acetate may be safely added to food as a vinegar-seasoning. Thanks to its antimicrobial activity, sodium acetate is also a safe and FDA-approved food preservative. Compounds like sodium acetate, with shorter carbon chains, are associated with stronger antimicrobial activity. Sodium acetate may also be used as a preservative in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries.
Sodium acetate may be combined in solution with acetic acid to create a buffer, a solution which resists changes in pH. Sodium acetate buffer solutions are widely used for biochemistry applications that require a slightly acidic environment. Such buffers are used for nucleic acid precipitation, protein crystallization, and staining gels.
The following areas are the most prevalent applications for sodium acetate.
