CALCIUM STEARATE

Calcium stearate is a carboxylate salt of calcium, classified as a calcium soap.
The salt is a component of some lubricants, surfactants, as well as many foodstuffs.
Calcium stearate is a white waxy powder.

CAS Number: 1592-23-0
EC Number: 216-472-8
IUPAC name: Calcium di(octadecanoate)
Chemical Formula: C36H70CaO4

Other names: CALCIUM STEARATE, 1592-23-0, Calcium octadecanoate, Octadecanoic acid, calcium salt, Calcium distearate, Calstar, Stearic acid calcium salt, Stearic acid, calcium salt, Stearates, calcium;octadecanoate, 66071-81-6, calcium dioctadecanoate, Flexichem, 776XM7047L, Aquacal, Flexichem CS, Stavinor 30, CALCIUMSTEARATE, Calcium bis(stearate), Nopcote C 104, Witco G 339S, Calcium stearate [JAN], HSDB 905, Calcium distearate, pure, EINECS 216-472-8, G 339S, G 339 S, Calcium stearate [JAN:NF], AI3-01335, UNII-776XM7047L, EINECS 266-106-6, calcium stearate powder, Octadecanoic acid, calcium salt (2:1), AULABRITE CA 65, STAVINOR CECAVON CA, BAERLOCHER 5862, SCHEMBL2371, 8000-75-7, CALCIUM STEARATE [II], CALCIUM STEARATE [MI], Calcium stearate (JP17/NF), CALCIUM STEARATE [FCC], CALCIUM STEARATE [HSDB], CALCIUM STEARATE [VANDF], CHEMBL2106092, DTXSID7027419, HY-B2219A, NISSAN CALCIUM STEARATE S, CALCIUM STEARATE [MART.], CALCIUM STEARATE [WHO-DD], CALCIUM STEARATE [WHO-IP], CHEBI:190296, AKOS015915024, CALCII STEARAS [WHO-IP LATIN], CALCIUM OCTADECANOATE [WHO-IP], CALCIUM STEARATE [EP MONOGRAPH], Calcium octadecanoate, Calcium distearate, Ca 6.6-7.4%, DB-023015, CS-0181985, E-470(I)STEARIC ACID, CALCIUM SALT, Fatty acids,tallow,hydrogenated,calcium salts, NS00082563, S0236, INS-470(I)STEARIC ACID, CALCIUM SALT, D03310, A810010, INS NO.470(I)STEARIC ACID, CALCIUM SALT, Q423318

Production and occurrence
Calcium stearate is produced by heating stearic acid and calcium oxide:
2 C17H35COOH + CaO → (C17H35COO)2Ca + H2O

Calcium stearate is also the main component of soap scum, a white solid that forms when soap is mixed with hard water. Unlike soaps containing sodium and potassium, calcium stearate is insoluble in water and does not lather well.
Commercially it is sold as a 50% dispersion in water or as a spray dried powder. As a food additive it is known by the generic E number E470.

Applications
Calcium stearate is a waxy material with low solubility in water, unlike traditional sodium and potassium soaps.
Calcium stearate is also easy and cheap to produce, and exhibits low toxicity.
These attributes are the basis of many of its applications. Related applications exist for the magnesium stearate.

Calcium stearate is used as a flow agent and surface conditioner in some candies such as Smarties, jawbreakers and Sprees.
Calcium stearate is a waterproofing agent for fabrics.
A lubricant in pencils and crayons.
The concrete industry uses calcium stearate for efflorescence control of cementitious products used in the production of concrete masonry units i.e. paver and block, as well as waterproofing.
In paper production, calcium stearate is used as a lubricant to provide good gloss, preventing dusting and fold cracking in paper and paperboard making.

In plastics, it can act as an acid scavenger or neutralizer at concentrations up to 1000ppm, a lubricant and a release agent. It may be used in plastic colorant concentrates to improve pigment wetting.
In rigid PVC, it can accelerate fusion, improve flow, and reduce die swell.
Applications in the personal care and pharmaceutical industry include tablet mold release, anti-tack agent, and gelling agent.
Calcium stearate is a component in some types of defoamers.
Anticaking agent.

Introduction
Calcium stearate is an anticaking agent used in a wide variety of foods including salt, spices, confections, snack products and dry mixes. The VRG noticed while doing a Spring 2015 update on stearic acid and its derivatives that several websites and books list calcium stearate as being primarily derived from cows or pigs. When we discovered from food ingredient manufacturers and suppliers that most calcium stearate used today in food products is from vegetable oils, we decided to check food labels and contact food companies to confirm if the calcium stearate present today in foods was indeed mostly or even solely vegetable-derived.

To accomplish this, we made extensive use of the Internet for locating edible products containing calcium stearate. Google® images of nutrition and supplement labels listed thousands of mostly pharmaceutical products. We went through the pages excluding supplements and any foods containing meat and/or dairy.

An immediate observation we made while searching for calcium stearate-containing foods was that very few products today contain calcium stearate unlike twenty years ago when it was more common. There are many substitute ingredients available today to take its place in foods such as silicon dioxide. (Calcium stearate, magnesium stearate as well as stearic acid are more commonly included today in dietary supplements and pharmaceuticals serving as binders or lubricants. Recent VRG research on the latter two ingredients also shows that for food and drug uses today, magnesium stearate and stearic acid are vegetable-derived in all cases we could find.)

About Calcium Stearate
Calcium Stearate is one of numerous organo-metallic compounds sold by American Elements under the trade name for uses requiring non-aqueous solubility such as recent solar energy and water treatment applications. Calcium Stearate is generally immediately available in most volumes, including bulk quantities. American Elements produces to many standard grades when applicable, including Mil Spec (military grade); ACS, Reagent and Technical Grade; Food, Agricultural and Pharmaceutical Grade; Optical Grade, USP and EP/BP (European Pharmacopoeia/British Pharmacopoeia) and follows applicable ASTM testing standards. Typical and custom packaging is available, as is additional technical and safety (MSDS) data

Calcium stearate is made by the international advanced dry manufacturing technique (high speed direct dispersion neutralization titration), applying to the manufacture of various kinds of pe, pp, pnc, abs resin. Calcium stearate achieves the requirement of high purity additive pe spinning, eliminates negative impact on the residual catalyst to color and resin stability, improves index and fluidity of yellow resin. Melt index, heat stability, filtration set the tone in the domestic market. Calcium stearate can be used as lubricant in polyolefin, lubricating grease thickening agent, water checking agent of textile, paint dullness agent etc and it is fit to introduce equipment and can substitute similar imported additives.

Characters:
Calcium stearate is white, fine powder, insoluble in water. When mixed with hot strong mineral acids, they break down into stearic acid and the corresponding calcium salts.

Uses of Calcium Stearate:
They are widely used as lubricants, slip agents, thermal stabilizers, mold release agents and plastic accelerators, engineering machinery, rubber, paints and inks industry etc.

It is the stabilizer and lubricant for pvc, which enjoy more thermal stabilization effect and good long-term stability.
Calcium stearate can be used as non-toxic food packaging, medical equipment and other flexible plastic containers. Aslo as halogen absorber in polyethylene and polypropylene, eliminates the harmful effect of residual catalyst in the resin on the color and stability of the resin.

This product is also widely used as a lubricant of polylefin fibers and molded products, as a sealant of waterproof rain materials, and it is available as a lubricant and mold release agent for phendic, amino and other thermosetting plastics and polyester reinforced with plastic.
And it is also used as thicknening grease agent, textile sealant and painted plain agent.

Storage of calcium stearate:
Calcium stearate should be placed in a cool, dry and well ventilated shade, moisture resistant, anti-high erasure, not keep distance with acid or alkali.

Applications:
Widely used as heat stabilizer for pvc. The rate of gelation can be increased with the base of lead salt and lead soap.
Calcium stearate Used as pp and pe halogen absorber eliminates negative impact on the residual catalyst to color and resin stability, improves the index and fluidity of yellow resin.
Polyolefin fiber and moldedwork lubricant.
Mold release agent, plasticizer, lubricant grease thickening agent, textile water checking agent, paint dullness etc agent for rubber processing.
Calcium stearate can also be used for food additives, roughage and cosmetic additives etc.