Citric Acid Formula

Citric Acid:  

Citric acid, having the molecular formula C₆H₈O₇, is a powerful organic compound but a weak organic acid. 

Citric acid comes in two different forms: monohydrate and water-free (anhydrous). Citric acid can be found in a variety of plants and fruits, including lemons and oranges, with the tomato having the highest concentration. It’s also known as tribasic acid.

Citric acid is a white crystalline substance with no odor and a sour taste. Its crystal structure is monoclinic.

Molecular Formula -C₆H₈O₇

The extended formula is CH₂COOH-C(OH)COOH-CH₂COOH. 

Its molar mass is 192.12 g mol^-1.

 IUPAC name = 2-hydroxypropane-1, 2, 3-tricarboxylic acid

Structure of Citric Acid:

Citric Acid’s Applications

• Citric acid is commonly found in soft drinks, juices, and other liquids. It imparts a tangy, citrus flavor to them. Citric acid is a common flavoring ingredient.
• It works as a food preservative because its acidic pH prevents the growth of many bacteria in food, preventing spoilage. Citric acid lowers the pH of frozen foods, rendering oxidative enzymes inactive.
• Citric acid is also used to soften the basic pH of soaps and detergents.
• It’s also utilized as a preservative in many cosmetics to keep the acid-base pH balance. It’s used in cosmetics to exfoliate dead skin, as well as to reduce wrinkles and even out skin tone.
• Citric acid is used as an acidulant to manage pH levels and works as an anticoagulant by chelating calcium in the blood.
• Lemon peels, a source of citric acid, are utilized to boost bone health in conditions like osteoporosis because they contain a high level of calcium and vitamin C, which aid in bone maintenance.
• In the pharmaceutical sector, citric acid is utilized as a preservative for keeping blood.
• Some ice businesses employ citric acid as an emulsifier to avoid using fat globules as an emulsifying agent.
• In caramel, citric acid is used to prevent sugar crystallization.

Physical properties:

• Citric acid is a crystalline white substance with no odor. 
• It has a density of 1.542 g ml-1 (monohydrate form) and 1.665 g ml^-1 (anhydrous form), with melting and boiling temperatures of 156 °C. and 310 °C respectively.
• Water, ether, acetone, ethanol, and methanol are extremely soluble, while toluene, benzene, and dichloromethane are insoluble.

Chemical Properties:

• Citric acid is a weak acid, it is always in equilibrium in aqueous solution between the anionic -1, -2, and -3 forms and the neutral form. 
• The more negative the charge on the anion, the more acidic it will be, with the pH of the associated aqueous solution ranging from pH 2 (for the CH2COOH-C(OH)COOH-CH₂COO–) to pH 8 (for the CH₂ COO-C(OH)COO-CH₂COO-³). 
• Citric acid is employed as a pH buffer regulator in many industrial processes because of this. Another essential feature of citric acid is its ability to bind metals, generating chelate metals that are comparable to EDTA complexes.