CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
| Physical Description | Lactic acid appears as a colorless to yellow odorless syrupy liquid. Corrosive to metals and tissue. Used to make cultured dairy products, as a food preservative, and to make chemicals. |
|---|---|
| Color/Form | Crystals (melt at 16.8 °C) |
| Odor | Odorless |
| Taste | Mild acid taste and does not overpower weaker aromatic flavors |
| Boiling Point | 122 °C at 1.50E+01 mm Hg |
| Melting Point | 16.8 °C |
| Flash Point | 113 °C (235 °F) - closed cup |
| Solubility | 1000000 mg/L |
| Density | 1.2 at 68 °F (USCG, 1999) - Denser than water; will sink |
| Vapor Pressure | 0.08 [mmHg] |
| LogP | -0.72 |
| Stability/Shelf Life | Stable under recommended storage conditions. |
| Decomposition | When heated to decompositionit emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes. |
| Viscosity | Viscosities of aqueous lactic acid at 25 °C: 1.042 mPa s (6.29 wt%), 1.752 mPa s (25.02 wt%), 4.68 mPa s (54.94 wt%), 36.9 mPa s (88.60 wt%) |
| Corrosivity | Caustic in concentrated solutions |
| Heat of Combustion | 3615 cal/kg |
| pH | The pH of a 10 wt% aqueous solution of lactic acid is 1.75 |
| Refractive Index | Index of refraction = 1.4392 at 20 °C |
| Dissociation Constants | 3.86 (at 20 °C) |
| Collision Cross Section | 151.9 Ų [M-H]- |
| Kovats Retention Index | 838 |
| Other Experimental Properties | Undergoes self-esterification even in aqueous solution ... hydrolysis to monomeric lactic acid occurs upon dilution with water |
| Chemical Classes | Other Classes -> Organic Acids |
COMPUTED DESCRIPTORS
| Molecular Weight | 90.08 g/mol |
|---|---|
| XLogP3 | -0.7 |
| Hydrogen Bond Donor Count | 2 |
| Hydrogen Bond Acceptor Count | 3 |
| Rotatable Bond Count | 1 |
| Exact Mass | 90.031694049 g/mol |
| Monoisotopic Mass | 90.031694049 g/mol |
| Topological Polar Surface Area | 57.5 Ų |
| Heavy Atom Count | 6 |
| Formal Charge | 0 |
| Complexity | 59.1 |
| Isotope Atom Count | 0 |
| Defined Atom Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Undefined Atom Stereocenter Count | 1 |
| Defined Bond Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Undefined Bond Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Covalently-Bonded Unit Count | 1 |
| Compound Is Canonicalized | Yes |
PRODUCT INTRODUCTION
description
Lactic acid appears as a colorless to yellow odorless syrupy liquid. Corrosive to metals and tissue. Used to make cultured dairy products, as a food preservative, and to make chemicals.