Benzoic Acid, also known as Dracylic Acid, Benzenecarboxylic Acid, and Carboxybenzene, has the chemical formula C₇H₆O₂ or C₆H₅COOH. It appears as white crystal scales or needles with faint urine, almond odor. Benzoic Acid possesses a slightly bitter taste and is nearly insoluble in Water; very soluble in Ethanol at ambient conditions. Chemically pure or Laboratory reagents are the two terms often used to describe Lab Grade chemicals. Lab Grade chemicals do not meet any accepted quality or purity requirements such as the ACS Grade, the USP Grade, and the FCC Grade, despite their acceptable purity. In the United States of America (USA), Lab Alley is selling its high-quality Benzoic Acid, Lab Grade online at laballey.com. Due to its high purity, Benzoic Acid, Lab Grade is highly recommended for labs and commercial applications.

How Is Benzoic Acid Used?

• Benzoic Acid For Skin
• Benzoic Acid For Acne
• Benzoic Acid For Hair
• Benzoic Acid For Skin Care Products And Cosmetics
• Benzoic Acid For Dark Spots
• Benzoic Acid For Toenail Fungus
• Benzoic Acid For Medicinal Uses
• Benzoic Acid For Pimples
• Benzoic Acid For Fungal Infections
• Benzoic Acid For Ringworm
• Benzoic Acid Used As A Food Preservative (PDF)
• Benzoic Acid Used To Calibrate An Oxygen Bomb Calorimeter
• Benzoic Acid Used In Alkyd Resin
• Benzoic Acid Used In Mouthwash

Benzoic Acid – Uses and Safety | MSDSonline

Benzoic acid is most commonly found in industrial settings to manufacture a wide variety of products such as perfumes, dyes, topical medications and insect repellents. Benzoic acid's salt (sodium benzoate) is commonly used as a pH adjustor and preservative in food, preventing the growth of microbes to keep food safe. Read more here.

Benzoic Acid And Salicylic Acid (Topical) Uses, Side Effects

Benzoic acid helps prevent infection caused by bacteria. Salicylic acid helps the body shed rough or dead skin cells. Benzoic acid and salicylic acid topical (for the skin) is a combination medicine used to treat skin irritation and inflammation caused by burns, insect bites, fungal infections, or eczema. Read more here.

Benzoic Acid For Skin [benzoic acid and salicylic acid (topical) - CardioSmart]

Benzoic acid helps prevent infection caused by bacteria. Salicylic acid helps the body shed rough or dead skin cells. Benzoic acid and salicylic acid treats skin irritation and inflammation caused by burns, insect bites, fungal infections, and eczema. Read more here.

Benzoic Acid Used As A Preservative (PDF) [benzoic acid and sodium benzoate - World Health Organization]

Benzoic acid and sodium benzoate are used as food preservatives and are most suitable for foods, fruit juices, and soft drinks that are naturally in an acidic pH range. Their use as preservatives in food, beverages, toothpastes, mouthwashes, dentifrices, cos- metics, and pharmaceuticals is regulated. Read more here (PDF).

Benzoic Acid For Pimples [benzoic acid and salicylic acid (topical) - St. Luke's]

Benzoic acid helps prevent infection caused by bacteria. Salicylic acid helps the body shed rough or dead skin cells. Benzoic acid and salicylic acid topical (for the skin) is a combination medicine used to treat skin irritation and inflammation caused by burns, insect bites, fungal infections, or eczema. Read more here.

Benzoic Acid For Acne [Benzoyl Peroxide or Salicylic Acid: Which Is Better For Acne]

The oxygen helps kill P. acnes, the bacteria that contributes to acne. Benzoic acid causes skin to peel and dry, exfoliating out the plugs of dead skin and sebum that inflame follicles, causing bumps. Read more here. 

Benzoic Acid Used In Mouthwash [Listerine Antibacterial Mouthwash? - John Emsley]

Benzoic acid and sodium benzoate are there to kill any bacteria that might find their way into the Listerine. Although some groups oppose these preservatives, mistakenly believing them to cause hyperactivity in children, they are present naturally in fruits like cranberries and strawberries. Read more here.

Benzoic Acid For Toenail Fungus [Whitfield Ointment - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics]

Whitfield's ointment (BPC), which contains 3% salicylic acid and 3% benzoic acid, is a weak antifungal agent but is inexpensive and effective in treating all dermatophyte infections apart from scalp or nail disease, or kerion. Read more here.

Benzoic Acid Used To Calibrate An Oxygen Bomb Calorimeter [The Use of Benzoic Acid Tablets in Bomb Calorimeters]

The calibration of an oxygen bomb calorimeter system (also called standardization) is done using a tablet of benzoic acid. ... During this calibration process, a known amount of heat i introduced into the calorimeter by the combustion of a benzoic acid tablet. Read more here.

Benzoic Acid Used In Alkyd Resin [Benzoic Acid Suppliers | World-Class Manufacturing]

Benzoic acid is the most basic of aromatic carboxylic acids. This product is a building block used in the manufacture of many end products including alkyd resins. When used in alkyd resin applications, it improves gloss, hardness and chemical resistance. Read more here.

Information On Benzoic Acid From Wikipedia

• Benzoic Acid CAS Registry Number: 65-85-0
• Benzoic Acid Molar Mass: 122.12 g/mol
• Benzoic Acid Formula: C7H6O2
• Benzoic Acid Melting Point: 252.1°F (122.3°C)
• Benzoic Acid Boiling Point: 482°F (250°C)
• Benzoic Acid Density: 1.27 g/cm³
• Benzoic Acid Classification: Organic Compound
• Benzoic Acid ChemSpider ID: 238
• Benzoic Acid PubChem CID: 243
• Other Names For Benzoic Acid: Benzenecarboxylic Acid, Carboxybenzene, E210, Dracylic acid, Phenylmethanoic acid, BzOH

Benzoic Acid Structure

Benzoic acid is a white (or colorless) solid with the formula C6H5CO2H. It is the simplest aromatic carboxylic acid. The name is derived from gum benzoin, which was for a long time its only source. Benzoic acid occurs naturally in many plants and serves as an intermediate in the biosynthesis of many secondary metabolites. Salts of benzoic acid are used as food preservatives. Benzoic acid is an important precursor for the industrial synthesis of many other organic substances. The salts and esters of benzoic acid are known as benzoates.

Uses
Benzoic acid is mainly consumed in the production of phenol by oxidative decarboxylation at 300−400 °C: 

C6H5CO2H + 1/2 O2 → C6H5OH + CO2

The temperature required can be lowered to 200 °C by the addition of catalytic amounts of copper (II) salts. The phenol can be converted to cyclohexanol, which is a starting material for nylon synthesis.

Precursor to plasticizers
Benzoate plasticizers, such as the glycol-, diethyleneglycol-, and triethyleneglycol esters, are obtained by transesterification of methyl benzoate with the corresponding diol. Alternatively these species arise by treatment of benzoyl chloride with the diol. These plasticizers are used similarly to those derived from terephthalic acid ester.

Precursor to sodium benzoate and related preservatives
Benzoic acid and its salts are used as a food preservatives, represented by the E numbers E210, E211, E212, and E213. Benzoic acid inhibits the growth of mold, yeast and some bacteria. It is either added directly or created from reactions with its sodium, potassium, or calcium salt. The mechanism starts with the absorption of benzoic acid into the cell. If the intracellular pH changes to 5 or lower, the anaerobic fermentation of glucose through phosphofructokinase is decreased by 95%. The efficacy of benzoic acid and benzoate is thus dependent on the pH of the food. Acidic food and beverage like fruit juice (citric acid), sparkling drinks (carbon dioxide), soft drinks (phosphoric acid), pickles (vinegar) or other acidified food are preserved with benzoic acid and benzoates.

Typical levels of use for benzoic acid as a preservative in food are between 0.05–0.1%. Foods in which benzoic acid may be used and maximum levels for its application are controlled by local food laws.

Concern has been expressed that benzoic acid and its salts may react with ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in some soft drinks, forming small quantities of carcinogenic benzene.

Medicinal
Benzoic acid is a constituent of Whitfield's ointment which is used for the treatment of fungal skin diseases such as tinea, ringworm, and athlete's foot. As the principal component of gum benzoin, benzoic acid is also a major ingredient in both tincture of benzoin and Friar's balsam. Such products have a long history of use as topical antiseptics and inhalant decongestants.

Benzoic acid was used as an expectorant, analgesic, and antiseptic in the early 20th century.

Benzoyl chloride
Benzoic acid is a precursor to benzoyl chloride, C6H5C(O)Cl by treatment with thionyl chloride, phosgene or one of the chlorides of phosphorus. Benzoyl chloride is an important starting material for several benzoic acid derivates like benzyl benzoate, which is used in artificial flavours and insect repellents.

Niche and laboratory uses
In teaching laboratories, benzoic acid is a common standard for calibrating a bomb calorimeter.

Biology and health effects
Benzoic acid occurs naturally as do its esters in many plant and animal species. Appreciable amounts are found in most berries (around 0.05%). Ripe fruits of several Vaccinium species (e.g., cranberry, V. vitis macrocarpon; bilberry, V. myrtillus) contain as much as 0.03–0.13% free benzoic acid. Benzoic acid is also formed in apples after infection with the fungus Nectria galligena. Among animals, benzoic acid has been identified primarily in omnivorous or phytophageous species, e.g., in viscera and muscles of the rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) as well as in gland secretions of male muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) or Asian bull elephants (Elephas maximus). Gum benzoin contains up to 20% of benzoic acid and 40% benzoic acid esters.

In terms of its biosynthesis, benzoate is produced in plants from cinnamic acid. A pathway has been identified from phenol via 4-hydroxybenzoate.

Information On Benzoic Acid From PubChem

Benzoic acid appears as a white crystalline solid. Slightly soluble in water. The primary hazard is the potential for environmental damage if released. Immediate steps should be taken to limit spread to the environment. Used to make other chemicals, as a food preservative, and for other uses.

Benzoic acid, C6H5COOH, is a colourless crystalline solid and the simplest aromatic carboxylic acid. Benzoic acid occurs naturally free and bound as benzoic acid esters in many plant and animal species. Appreciable amounts have been found in most berries (around 0. 05%). Cranberries contain as much as 300-1300 mg free benzoic acid per kg fruit. Benzoic acid is a fungistatic compound that is widely used as a food preservative. It often is conjugated to glycine in the liver and excreted as hippuric acid. Benzoic acid is a byproduct of phenylalanine metabolism in bacteria. It is also produced when gut bacteria process polyphenols (from ingested fruits or beverages).

Benzoic acid is a compound comprising a benzene ring core carrying a carboxylic acid substituent. It has a role as an antimicrobial food preservative, an EC 3.1.1.3 (triacylglycerol lipase) inhibitor, an EC 1.13.11.33 (arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase) inhibitor, a plant metabolite, a human xenobiotic metabolite, an algal metabolite and a drug allergen. It is a conjugate acid of a benzoate. Read more here.

• Reagent
• Chemical precursor
• Herbicide
• Volumetric and calorimetric analysis

• Synthesis of dyes
• Curing of tobacco

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