SODIUM STEARATE

PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION
CAS NO. 822-16-2

SODIUM STEARATE

EINECS NO. 212-490-5
FORMULA CH3(CH2)16COONa
MOL WT. 306.46

H.S. CODE

 2915.70
SMILES

 

TOXICITY

  
SYNONYMS Octadecanoic acid, sodium salt; Stearic acid, sodium salt
Natriumstearat (German); Estearato de sodio (Spanish); Stéarate de sodium (French);

CLASSIFICATION

SURFACTANTS /

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL STATE white to off-white powder or granule

MELTING POINT

 245 - 255 C
BOILING POINT  
SPECIFIC GRAVITY  

SOLUBILITY IN WATER

 soluble
pH 10 - 11
VAPOR DENSITY

 

AUTOIGNITION  

REFRACTIVE INDEX

  
NFPA RATINGS  
FLASH POINT  
STABILITY Stable under ordinary conditions

GENERAL DESCRIPTION & APPLICATIONS
Metallic salts of fatty acids (called soap) are primarily used as cleansing agent (mainly sodium- and potassium-) which their molecules attach readily to both polar molecules (of water) and non-polar molecules (of grease or oil). The long hydrocarbon chains are non-polar (and hydrophobic) repelled by water and the salt end molecules are ionic (and hydrophilic) water soluble. Soaps differ according to the type of fatty acid and length of the carbon chain and according to the alkali employed. Fatty acids with longer chains are insoluble. If sodium hydroxide is used as the alkali, hard soaps are formed; potassium hydroxide yields soft soaps. Soap salts are used as insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and algaecides. The lipophilic carbon chains infiltrate and destroy the lipoprotein matrix of the insect's cell membranes. Food grade soap salts are used also as  general purpose food additives. Aluminum, calcium, magnesium, lead, zinc or other metals are used in place of sodium or potassium for soaps to be used in industry. Metallic salts of fatty acids are used as stabilizer and plasticizer in plastic industry as well as in cosmetics. They are used as flatting and sanding agents in lacquers, coatings & inks. They can be applied in tablet manufacturing. They are used as drying lubricants and dusting agents for rubbers. They are used as catalysts in chemical synthesis and emulsifiers for emulsion polymerization of synthetic rubber and resin which can be approved for use in food contact applications. They are used as waterproofing additives and ointments.
SALES SPECIFICATION

APPEARANCE

 white to off-white powder or granule

FREE FATTY ACID

3.0% max

WATER

3.0% max

Fe

100 ppm max

MELTING POINT

 245 - 255 C
TRANSPORTATION
PACKING 25kgs in bag
HAZARD CLASS  
UN NO.  

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF IONIC SURFACTANTS

Ionic surfactants which contain hydrophobic hydrocarbon group connected with one or several hydrophilic groups dissociate into a positively charged cation and a negatively charged anion in an aqueous solution. If the head is negatively charged to carry the surface active properties, it is called anionic surfactant, whereas a positively charged head is the carrier of the surface active properties in cationic surfactants. Typically cationic surfactants are based on the nitrogen atom carrying the cationic charge such as amine and quaternary ammonium product.

Cationic surfactant is considered to be poor cleaners but it contributes to the fabric softening, the disinfecting properties, and the grease-water interfacial tension reducing. Cationic surfactants include quaternary ammonium compounds, amines (primary, secondary, tertiary, diamines, polyamines, amine salts), imidazoline compounds, betaine compounds, and esterquats.

Anionic surfactant is the widely used type of surface active agent for laundry detergents, liquid cleaners and shampoos due to excellent cleaning properties particularly effective at oily soil cleaning and oil/clay soil suspension. Anionic surfactants are deactivated in many hard water. To prevent deactivation, builders should be dosed. Anionic surfactant is used as a emulsifier in cosmetics, tooth paste, cream, shampoo, and acrylic binder. Common soap is an anionic surfactant. Carboxylate, sulfate, sulfonate and phosphate are the polar groups in anionic surfactants. Anionic surfactants include alkyl benzene sulfonate, fatty acid salts, sodium lauryl sulfate, alkyl sulfate salts, sodium lauryl ether sulfate, alpha-olefin sulfonates, phosphate esters, sulphosuccinates, alkyl phenol ether sulfates, and isethionates.