Difference Between Citric Acid and Anhydrous

Citric acid is a common organic acid, which is widely used in food preservation, battery production, pharmaceutical manufacturing and other fields. Anhydrous citric acid is a citric acid derivative after dehydration treatment. Although it is similar to ordinary citric acid in chemical structure, it has significant differences in physical properties and application fields. In this paper, the difference between citric acid and anhydrous citric acid will be analyzed in depth from the aspects of chemical properties, structural changes, preparation process and practical application.

1. what is citric acid?

Citric acid is a white or colorless crystal with the chemical formula C3H4O4 and a molecular weight of 90. It is a dicarboxylic acid, with weak acidity, common in nature, widely present in fruits, such as lemon, orange and so on. Chemically, citric acid consists of three carbon atoms with two carboxylic acid groups (COOH) and one hydroxyl group (-OH).

2. what is anhydrous citric acid?

Anhydrous citric acid is a product obtained by removing water from ordinary citric acid through a chemical process. Its chemical formula is usually expressed as C3H4O4. nH2O, where n represents the number of water molecules removed. Due to the dehydration process, the molecular weight of the anhydrous citric acid is reduced and the moisture content in the structure is zero.

3, citric acid and anhydrous citric acid structure difference

The molecular structure of citric acid contains two carboxylic acid groups and one hydroxyl group, showing strong and weak acidity. The anhydrous citric acid after dehydration treatment, the molecular structure of the loss of free water, resulting in its molecular weight decreased, acidic increased. This structural difference is not only reflected in the chemical properties, but also affects its application in different fields.

4, chemical properties of different

Common citric acid is a dicarboxylic acid that is weakly acidic and easily decomposes, but may exhibit greater stability under certain conditions (such as high temperatures or strongly acidic environments). However, due to dehydration, anhydrous citric acid has a more compact molecular structure, higher thermal stability and stronger resistance to high temperature.

5, the preparation process is different

Citric acid is mainly prepared by chemical reaction methods, such as lemon juice extraction and subsequent processing. The preparation of anhydrous citric acid requires strict dehydration treatment on the basis of citric acid, and the process is more complicated. Anhydrous citric acid is usually produced by high temperature distillation or chemical dehydration to remove water.

6. Practical application of the difference

1. Food preservation and nutrition supplement: ordinary citric acid