Citric Acid

Citric acid is an ingredient that experts swear by to brighten skin.

Lab Alley is a bulk citric acid supplier. Citric Acid products ship within 1-2 business days.

Citric acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula HOC(CO2H)(CH2CO2H)2. It is a colorless weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in the metabolism of all aerobic organisms. 

Citric acid is found naturally in citrus fruits, especially lemons and limes. It's what gives them their tart, sour taste.

Because of its acidic, sour-tasting nature, citric acid is predominantly used as a flavoring and preserving agent, especially in soft drinks and candies. It's also used to stabilize or preserve medicines and as a disinfectant. Citric acid is a compound originally derived from lemon juice.

• Formula: C₆H₈O₇
• Molar mass: 192.124 g/mol
• Acidity level: between 3–6
• Classification: organic compound, alpha hydroxy acid

Citric Acid Properties

• Formula: C6H6O7
• Molar Mass: 192.12 g/mol
• IUPAC ID: 2-Hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid
• Density: 1.665 g/cm3
• Melting Point: Decomposes from 175 °C
• Boiling Point: 310 °C
• Citric Acid | C6H6O7 | PubChem
• CAS Number: 77-92-4
• PubChem CID: 311
• ChemSpider ID: 305
• Structure: Citric acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid with a three-carbon skeleton, which has three carboxylic acid groups (COOH), and one hydroxyl group (OH).
• Pure Citric Acid Powder Purity: 99.9%
• Citric Acid Solubility: 54 g/100mL (10°C) | 59.2 g/100 mL (20 °C) | 64.3 g/100 mL (30 °C) | 68.6 g/100 mL (40 °C)
• USA Food Grade (FFC) Citric Acid Powder for Sale in Bulk
• Citric Acid Uses and Manufacturing on PubChem
• Citric Acid Information on Wikipedia
• Citric Acid Safety and Hazards Information on PubChem
• Citric Acid Uses: Cleaning, Skin care, Food additive, Hair growth, Bath bombs, Kidney stone treatment, Home canning, and Cleaning dishwashers.
• Citric acid disinfectants function by destroying the bonds of nucleic acids and precipitating proteins. Acids also change the pH of the environment making it detrimental to many microorganisms.

Citric Powder Uses

• Citric Acid Is An Antiviral Ingredient In Disinfectants, Sprays And Wipes
• Use Citric Acid Powder As A Food Additive
• Use Citric Acid Powder To Make Skin Care Products
• Use Citric Acid Powder To Make Household Cleaning Solutions
• Use Citric Acid Powder To Make Cosmetics
• Use Cosmetic Acid As Dietary Supplement
• Citric Acid Powder Is Commonly Used In Laboratories And Manufacturing Operations In The United States
• Citric Acid Powder Is An Excellent Chelating Agent
• Citric Acid Powder Is Used To Soften Water In Laundry Detergents And Soaps

More Information About Citric Acid

Citric acid occurs naturally in many citrus fruits and vegetables, with the largest amounts in citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and limes. Non-GMO, 99.9% pure citric acid can be purchased online from LabAlley.com. Citric acid appears as colorless, odorless crystals with an acid taste. Citric acid is denser than water. Citric acid is an organic tricarboxylic acid which is an important metabolite in all animals and plants. Citric acid is a weak organic acid that has the chemical formula C6H8O7. 99% of citric acid is made via microbial fermentation. Only 1 percent is naturally derived from citrus fruit.

In biochemistry, citric acid is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in the metabolism of all aerobic organisms.  Citric acid is an important metabolite in the pathway of all aerobic organisms.  Citric acid protects the brain due to its antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties. Citric acid is linked to improved nutrient absorption, and has been tied to improved bone health.

Citric acid has a role as a food acidity regulator, a chelator, an antimicrobial agent and a fundamental metabolite. Citric acid, a colorless crystalline organic compound belonging to the family of carboxylic acids, present in practically all plants and in many animal tissues and fluids. It is one of a series of compounds involved in the physiological oxidation of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates to carbon dioxide and water.

Citric Acid is a conjugate acid of a citrate(1-) and a citrate anion. More than two million tons of citric acid are manufactured every year. It is used widely as an acidifier, as a flavoring and chelating agent.  A citrate is a derivative of citric acid; that is, the salts, esters, and the polyatomic anion found in solution.

What is Sodium Citrate?

Sodium citrate is the sodium salt of citric acid. It is white, crystalline powder or white, granular crystals, slightly deliquescent in moist air, freely soluble in water, practically insoluble in alcohol. Like citric acid, it has a sour taste. From the medical point of view, it is used as alkalinizing agent. It works by neutralizing excess acid in the blood and urine. It has been indicated for the treatment of metabolic acidosis.

Use Citric Acid To Make Household Cleaning Products

Citric acid is in everything from food items like wine and hummus to beauty products. Citric acid is used to make versatile, all-natural cleaning ingredients for your healthy home.  Citric acid is a great all-purpose cleaning agents: powerful enough to kill mold, remove soap scum, and even tackle rust.

Where Can You Buy Citric Acid For Bath Bombs?

Citric acid is a very common ingredient in bath products. You can buy citric acid to make bath bombs from LabAlley.com and in many local grocery stores, chain stores, or craft stores. You can purchase bath bombs at Target. Bath bombs were invented in 1989 by Lush Cosmetics co-founder Mo Constantine. They are hard-packed mixtures of dry ingredients which effervesce when wet. They are used to add essential oils, scent, bubbles or color to bathwater.

How Citric Acid Powder Is Used In Food And Drink Products In The USA

Because citric acid is one of the stronger edible acids, the dominant use of citric acid is as a flavoring and preservative in food and beverages, especially soft drinks and candies. In the United States the purity requirements for citric acid as a food additive are defined by the Food Chemicals Codex, which is published by the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP). Citric acid can be added to ice cream as an emulsifying agent to keep fats from separating, to caramel to prevent sucrose crystallization, or in recipes in place of fresh lemon juice.

Citric acid sold in a dry powdered form is commonly sold in markets and groceries as "sour salt", due to its physical resemblance to table salt. It has use in culinary applications, as an alternative to vinegar or lemon juice, where a pure acid is needed. Citric acid can be used in food coloring to balance the pH level of a normally basic dye. Citric acid has many uses in the food industry as a flavoring agent, pH modifier, and preservative.

Other Uses Of Citric Acid

It is also used as an anticoagulant and antioxidant, and in mineral supplements as citrate salts of metals. It also finds uses in household cleaning solutions, as a pH buffer and as a water softener. Citric acid is used with sodium bicarbonate in a wide range of effervescent formulae, both for ingestion (e.g., powders and tablets) and for personal care (e.g., bath salts, bath bombs, and cleaning of grease). 

Commercial Uses Of Citric Acid

More than half of all the citric acid produced is used in soft drinks and other beverages, where it boosts flavors and adds a slightly sour taste. Citric acid also acts as a preservative and flavor enhancer in foods, including jams, gelatins, candies, frozen foods, canned vegetables and meat products.

For canning foods at home, citric acid is a good additive to prevent bacterial growth. It also binds with minerals, making citric acid useful in several commercial applications. For example, your body absorbs minerals in supplements more readily when they're attached to citric acid. As a cleaning product additive, it binds with minerals in hard water, which improves the effectiveness of the soaps and detergents.

Medical Uses Of Citric Acid

Citric acid binds with calcium in your blood, which results in less calcium available to make kidney stones. If you have a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones, consuming plenty of citrus fruits or lemonade helps prevent stones from forming in the future. Citric acid may also break up small stones that are just beginning to form, and it lowers the level of acidity in your urine, which inhibits the development of calcium oxalate and uric acid stones, according to NYU Langone Medical Center.

Health Benefits Of Citric Acid

There are benefits to consuming foods that contain naturally occurring citric acid (from, say, lemon or lime juice) because it acts as an antioxidant, meaning it protects the body from damaging free radicals. Eating ample antioxidants helps with everything from heart health to cancer prevention. Citric acid might find utility in treatment of toxic and inflammatory conditions of the brain and liver tissues.

Where Citric Acid Comes From

Every time you enjoy citrus fruits, you consume citric acid produced by nature. Your body makes its own supply because citric acid is essential for producing the energy that keeps you active and healthy. Commercially produced citric acid is added to foods, beverages and pharmaceutical products, but this type of citric acid comes from yet another source, fermented fungi.

How to Make Citric Acid

Citric acid is the stuff that makes fruit taste tart and candy taste sour, but it can also be used as a household cleaner and a pest repellent. You can purchase citric acid solution or citric acid powder at LabAlley.com, but if you want to try to make citric acid at home, you only need to buy a few lab chemicals, some acid-proof equipment, and follow basic chemical safety procedures. Be sure to buy safety goggles and latex gloves to ensure that you don't accidentally hurt yourself when making citric acid. Learn how to make citric acid at home, here.

Citric Acid pH

The pH of a 1 mM solution of citric acid will be about 3.2. The pH of fruit juices from citrus fruits like oranges and lemons depends on the citric acid concentration, being lower for higher acid concentration and conversely.

Citric Acid pKa

Citric acid (2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid) is a weak organic tricarboxylic acid with three different values of pKa (3.1, 4.7, and 6.4). It can exist either in an anhydrous (water-free) form or as a monohydrate.

Citric Acid Monohydrate

Citric Acid Monohydrate is a tricarboxylic acid found in citrus fruits. Citric acid is used as an excipient in pharmaceutical preparations due to its antioxidant properties. The salts of citric acid (citrates) can be used as anticoagulants due to their calcium chelating ability.

Citric Acid Safety And Hazards

Citric Acid Anhydrous has been verified to be of low concern based on experimental and modeled data. The EPA considers citric acid to be a safe chemical. Citric Acid Anhydrous has been verified to be of low concern based on experimental and modeled data.  Natural Citric Acid Powder is a safe ingredient for food, beverage, skin and cleaning products. 

Dilute solutions of citric acid are safe for consumption. However, concentrated solutions or pure citric acid can be irritating and corrosive, and burn eyes and skin upon contact. Inhalation can irritate the nose, throat, and mucous membranes.

People who are extremely mold or yeast sensitive or allergic/sensitive to corn, beet, or cane sugar/starches may want to avoid citric acid since these items are used in the production of citric acid.

Pure Organic Citric Acid And USDA Organic Citric Acid

Organic is a labeling term that indicates that citric acid, food or other agricultural product has been produced through approved methods. The organic standards describe the specific requirements that must be verified by a USDA-accredited certifying agent before products can be labeled USDA organic. Overall, organic operations must demonstrate that they are protecting natural resources, conserving biodiversity, and using only approved substances.  The organic standards are captured in the Organic Food Production Act, USDA Organic Regulations, and the National Organic Program Handbook.

Citric Acid MSDS/SDS

Please contact us to request a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and Certificate of Analysis (COA) for Citric Acid Anhydrous Lab.