Citric Acid Chemical in Pakistan

Here are detailed specs for Citric Acid (C₆H₈O₇) — a friendly little tricarboxylic acid used widely in food, pharma, cleaning & industrial uses. If you tell me which “grade” you need (food, pharmaceutical, technical/industrial) I can pull the exact spec sheet for that too.

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✅ Basic Physical & Chemical Data

• Chemical formula: C₆H₈O₇ (anhydrous form).
• CAS number: 77-92-9.
• Appearance: White (or almost white) crystalline powder or granules.
• Odour: Essentially odourless (or very faint).
• Density (anhydrous): ~1.66 g/cm³.
• Melting point: ~153-156 °C for anhydrous form; above this it may decompose.
• Solubility: Very soluble in water. For example solubility is ~62 g/100g water at 25 °C.
• pKa values (triprotic acid): ~3.13, 4.76, 6.39.

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🏷 Grades & Key Specification Data

Different grades have different purity, water content, allowed impurities, etc. Here are examples:

Food grade (e.g., for anhydrous & monohydrate)

From one source:

• Appearance: White or almost white crystalline powder or granules.
• Assay (citric acid content): ~99.5-100.5% for both anhydrous and monohydrate.
• Water: For anhydrous: ≤ 0.5%; for monohydrate: water ~7.5-8.8%.
• Sulfated ash (residue on ignition): ≤ 0.05% for both.
• Heavy metals, lead, arsenic, etc: e.g. lead ≤ 0.5 mg/kg; arsenic ≤ 1.0 mg/kg.

Technical/Industrial grade

For example:

• Assay: 99.50-100.50% for anhydrous in one spec.
• Water (moisture): max 0.50% (for the anhydrous technical grade)
• Storage: shelf life given as 1,825 days (about 5 years) if stored <30 °C in dry conditions.

Example of a technical-grade solution specification

From a spec sheet:

• Appearance: Clear, water white to pale slightly hazy solution.
• Actives: 50% citric acid (in solution)
• Specific gravity: 1.241 (for 50% solution)
• Solubility: Fully soluble in water

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📋 Typical Specification Table (for anhydrous food/technical grade)

Parameter	Typical Value / Limit
Assay (Citric acid)	~ 99.5-100.5%
Water/moisture	≤ 0.5% (anhydrous) / ~7.5-8.8% (monohydrate)
Sulfated ash	≤ 0.05%
Lead	≤ 0.5 mg/kg
Arsenic	≤ 1.0 mg/kg
Appearance	White crystalline powder or granules
Odour	Odourless or very slight
Solubility	Very soluble in water
Storage	Keep in a dry, cool place (<30 °C)

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🔍 Important Notes / Practical Considerations

• “Anhydrous” vs “monohydrate”: The monohydrate form includes a water molecule; the anhydrous form does not. From source: monohydrate form can be converted to anhydrous by heating to about 78 °C.
• Depending on your application (food, pharmaceutical, industrial), you must pick the correct grade. For example, a “technical grade” may not be certified for food use.
• Storage: Because citric acid is hygroscopic (especially in certain forms) and may absorb moisture, store in dry conditions. Also elevated humidity or temperature will affect shelf life.
• When using in process/production (cleaning agents, pH adjustment, chelation, etc) you might get “solution” forms (e.g., 50% citric acid solutions) with distinct specs (specific gravity, active content) rather than just solid powder.
• Ensure you check the supplier’s certificate of analysis (CoA) for each batch — impurities like heavy metals, moisture, ash content can vary.
• If using for food or pharma: ensure compliance with relevant pharmacopeia (USP, BP), food chemical codex (FCC), and regulatory certifications (HACCP, GMP) depending on jurisdiction.

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If you like, I can pull up a full technical datasheet (PDF) for a major supplier of citric acid (with full impurity limits, particle size, etc) and send you the link. Would that be helpful?