Zinc Citrate: Detailed Product Overview

What is Zinc Citrate?

Zinc citrate stands out as a chemical compound cherished for both its utility and predictable behavior in various industries. It forms when zinc oxide or zinc carbonate joins with citric acid, creating a substance that has gathered attention for its broad functionality. This material shows up in health supplements, personal care products, and even some industrial applications. Many people come across it in everyday life, often without realizing it. The compound wears several hats, making appearances in toothpaste, oral rinse, and as an additive in foods that aim to boost nutritional value. Consistent quality and safety define production, drawing strict attention from regulatory bodies across the globe.

Properties and Physical Characteristics

This compound typically appears as a white or slightly off-white solid, sporting a crystalline or powder form. If you run your fingers across it, zinc citrate feels soft, almost like baby powder, and it shows no smell. From experience in the lab, it disperses evenly when added into mixtures, dissolves slightly in water, and manages to stay stable at room temperature. Chemically, the molecular formula registers as C6H6O7Zn3, and this format lays the groundwork for calculating other vital details. The molecular weight lands close to 574.3 g/mol, giving formulators a handy reference point. Density settles around 2.3 g/cm³, lending the product heft in mixtures, affecting how it behaves in bulk or in blends.

Structure and Material Forms

Delving into structure, zinc citrate arranges itself as a coordinate complex. Three zinc ions tuck into the pockets formed by the citrate group, resulting in a solid lattice that resists breaking down quickly. The product takes on many faces: pharmaceutical-grade fine powders, food-grade larger granules, and even specialized crystalline shapes for research settings. You might also encounter zinc citrate in pearls or flakes, favored by producers who require slow-dissolving material or need to control the rate of solubility. Liquid solutions do surface in niche blends, but solid forms rule the market, underlining the stability and shelf presence that users have come to expect.

Specifications and Identification

Precise manufacturing endows zinc citrate with a distinct set of specifications. Purity content hovers above 97%, with moisture levels usually staying under 2% to prevent clumping or unwanted reactions. The international community recognizes the material under the HS Code 29181500, a designation used for customs classification and regulatory filings. Standard packaging comes in sealed bags or drums, marked by batch number and molecular information for easy tracking. For those in technical roles, knowing bulk density—and how it shifts between flakes, powder, and crystal—provides critical information for storage and processing.

Chemical and Safety Profile

Zinc citrate carries both promise and responsibility. This compound brings the essential trace element zinc, tying into nutrition and human health, but like any chemical, it calls for safe handling. While considered safe at recommended exposure levels, direct, prolonged contact may sting sensitive skin or irritate eyes. Manufacturers promote the use of gloves, dust masks, and eye protection to keep accidents at bay—a nod to decades of research on best lab practices. In my years working with raw materials, observing storage protocols and workplace hygiene ensures that safety becomes habit, not just paperwork.

Hazardous and Harmful Aspects

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) note that zinc citrate does not trigger extreme hazards under most normal conditions. Inhalation of dust can cause mild respiratory discomfort, a point many operators learn early on through a tickle in the throat during careless handling. Spillage vigilance matters—zinc compounds shouldn’t find their way into water systems in excess, as aquatic life feels the effects first. Regulatory agencies like the FDA and European Food Safety Authority maintain regular reviews of scientific literature, ensuring raw materials in food, pharmaceuticals, or cosmetics meet evolving standards for consumer safety.

Applications and Industry Use

Manufacturers pull from a stack of zinc citrate grades, each optimized by slight adjustments during synthesis. As a supplement, the material mixes easily into tablets, gummies, or powders, supporting immune health and growth. Personal care product makers blend it in for its antibacterial punch and as a deodorizing agent in toothpaste or mouthwash, based on the ability to control the growth of oral bacteria. Food producers leverage the compound’s status as a readily-absorbed zinc source and build nutrient-fortified products based on this mineral. Research settings often test new delivery systems using zinc citrate as a model for other trace minerals.

Environmental and Handling Considerations

Any discussion of raw materials must address sustainability. Zinc mining and refining put real stress on both people and landscape. Responsible suppliers source zinc from operations that limit toxic tailings, embrace clean energy, and respect local community rights. Recycling programs for zinc-based materials help cut demand for raw mining, creating a loop that eases pressure on the planet. On the factory floor, proper disposal methods prevent accidental run-off, and compliance checks by local environmental agencies prompt both small and large companies to review waste stream integrity. Each actor in the supply chain—from miner to manufacturer to end user—plays a role in making zinc citrate not just a tool for health and industry, but also an example of ethical material stewardship.