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Gluconate is an organic compound occurring widely in nature arising from the glucose oxidation.
Gluconate is naturally found in fruit, honey and wine.
Gluconate can also be used as a food additive to regulate acidity and a cleaning agent in alkaline solution.
CAS Number: 526-95-4
Molecular Formula: C6H12O7
Molecular Weight: 196.16
EINECS Number: 208-401-4
Synonyms: 2,3,4,5,6-PENTAHYDROXYCAPROIC ACID;GLYCOGENIC ACID;GLUCONIC ACID;PENTAHYDROXYCAPROIC ACID;glyconicacid;Hexonic acid;Ultra-Mg [as magnesium salt dihydrate];MALTONIC ACID
Gluconates calcium salt, calcium gluconate can be used to treat burns from hydrofluoric acid and avoid necrosis of deep tissues as well as treating the verapamil poisoning and hypocalcemia in hospitalized patient.
Some salts of gluconate can also be used to treat malaria (quinidine gluconate) and anemia (ferrous gluconate).
In microbiology, gluconate is a common carbon source that can be supplemented to the medium for cell growth.
Gluconate is an organic compound with molecular formula C6H12O7 and condensed structural formula HOCH2(CHOH)4COOH.
Gluconate is one of the 16 stereoisomers of 2,3,4,5,6-penta hydroxy hexanoic acid.
In aqueous solution at neutral pH, gluconic acid forms the gluconate ion.
The salts of gluconic acid are known as "gluconates".
Gluconate, gluconate salts, and gluconate esters occur widely in nature because such species arise from the oxidation of glucose.
Some drugs are injected in the form of gluconates.
Gluconate refers to the salt or ester form of gluconic acid, which is a naturally occurring organic acid derived from the oxidation of glucose.
Gluconate is produced when the aldehyde group of glucose is oxidized to form a carboxylic acid group, resulting in a compound that retains the sugar’s carbon backbone but gains acidic properties.
Because of this, gluconates are typically water-soluble salts formed when gluconic acid reacts with mineral cations such as calcium, sodium, potassium, or iron, leading to compounds like calcium gluconate, sodium gluconate, and iron gluconate.
Gluconates are widely valued for their excellent chelating properties, meaning they can bind tightly to metal ions, which makes them very useful in various industrial, pharmaceutical, and nutritional applications.
For example, calcium gluconate is commonly used as a mineral supplement to treat calcium deficiencies in humans and animals, providing a bioavailable form of calcium that can be easily absorbed and utilized by the body.
In the food and beverage industry, gluconates serve as food additives or preservatives, helping to maintain stability and prevent discoloration by binding trace metals that might otherwise catalyze oxidation or spoilage.
Their ability to chelate metals also makes them valuable in cleaning products and water treatment processes, where they help to soften water by sequestering calcium and magnesium ions that cause hardness.
Gluconate is the calcium salt of gluconic acid and is used as a mineral supplement and medication.
As a medication it is used by injection into a vein to treat low blood calcium, high blood potassium, and magnesium toxicity.
Supplementation is generally only required when there is not enough calcium in the diet.
Gluconate may be done to treat or prevent osteoporosis or rickets.
Gluconate can also be taken by mouth but is not recommended for injection into a muscle.
Side effects when injected include slow heart rate, pain at the site of injection, and low blood pressure.
When taken by mouth side effects may include constipation and nausea.
Blood calcium levels should be measured when used and extra care should be taken in those with a history of kidney stones.
At normal doses, use is regarded as safe in pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Gluconate is made by mixing gluconic acid with calcium carbonate or calcium hydroxide.
Gluconate came into medical use in the 1920s.
Gluconate is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.
Gluconate is available as a generic medication.
It is closely related to calcium borogluconate, which is commonly used in veterinary medicine owning to its higher solubility.
Gluconate is used for intravenous administration of calcium, notably in ruminants.
Gluconate is an acid sugar composed of white crystals with a milk-acidic taste.
In aqueous solutions, it is in equilibrium with gamma- and delta-gluconolactones.
Gluconate is prepared by enzymatic oxidation of glucose and strains of the microorganisms used to supply the enzyme action are nonpathogenic and nontoxicogenic to man or other animals.
Gluconate is used as a component of bottle rinsing formulations, at levels not to exceed good manufacturing practice.
Gluconate is an organic compound with molecular formula C6H12O7 and condensed structural formula HOCH2(CHOH)4CO2H.
A white solid, it forms the gluconate anion in neutral aqueous solution.
The salts of gluconic acid are known as "gluconates".
Gluconate, gluconate salts, and gluconate esters occur widely in nature because such species arise from the oxidation of glucose.
Some drugs are injected in the form of gluconates.
The chemical structure of gluconic acid consists of a six-carbon chain, with five hydroxyl groups positioned in the same way as in the open-chained form of glucose, terminating in a carboxylic acid group.
Gluconate is one of the 16 stereoisomers of 2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxyhexanoic acid.
Gluconate is typically produced by the aerobic oxidation of glucose in the presence of the enzyme glucose oxidase.
The conversion produces gluconolactone and hydrogen peroxide.
The lactone spontaneously hydrolyzes to gluconic acid in water.
C6H12O6 + O2 → C6H10O6 + H2O2
C6H10O6 + H2O → C6H12O7
Variations of glucose (or other carbohydrate-containing substrate) oxidation using fermentation or noble metal catalysis.
Gluconate was first prepared by Hlasiwetz and Habermann in 1870 and involved the chemical oxidation of glucose.
In 1880, Boutroux prepared and isolated gluconic acid using the glucose fermentation.
Gluconate is produced commercially through three main methods.
These three methods are: chemical oxidation of glucose with a hypochlorite solution, electrolytic oxidation of a glucose solution containing a known value of bromide, and a fermentation process where specific microorganisms are grown in a medium containing glucose and various other ingredients.
Melting point: 15 °C
Boiling point: 102 °C
alpha: D20 -6.7° (c = 1)
Density: 1.23
Refractive index: 1.4161
Storage temp.: Store below +30 °C
Solubility: DMSO (Slightly), Methanol (Slightly), Water
Form: Crystalline Powder or Crystals
pKa: pK (25°) 3.60
Color: White to light yellow
Specific gravity: 1.234
Odor: Commercial 50% aq. soln., light amber, faint odor of vinegar
pH: 2.2 (20 °C, 500 g/L in H₂O)
Optical activity: [α]/D +9.0 to 15.5°
Water solubility: Soluble in water
Merck: 14,4456
BRN: 1726055
LogP: -2.116 (est)
Gluconate have applications in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, where their mild acidity and biocompatibility allow them to act as buffering agents, stabilizers, or skin-conditioning ingredients.
Because they are derived from natural glucose and are generally considered safe, gluconates are preferred ingredients in formulations requiring non-toxic and environmentally friendly components.
Gluconate occurs naturally in fruit, honey, kombucha tea, and wine. As a food additive ( E574 ), it is an acidity regulator.
Gluconate is also used in cleaning products where it dissolves mineral deposits especially in alkaline solution.
The gluconate anion chelates Ca2+,Fe2+, Al3+, and other metals.
In 1929 Horace Terhune Herrick developed a process for producing the salt by fermentation.
Gluconate, in the form of a gel, is used to treat burns from hydrofluoric acid; calcium gluconate injections may be used for more severe cases to avoid necrosis of deep tissues.
Gluconate is a salt between gluconic acid and quinine, which is used for intramuscular injection in the treatment of malaria.
Gluconate injections are used to neuter male dogs.
Gluconate injections have been proposed in the past to treat anemia.
Gluconate solution (given intravenously) is the form of calcium most widely used in the treatment of low blood calcium.
This form of calcium is not as well absorbed as calcium lactate, and it only contains 0.93% (93 mg/dL) calcium ion (defined by 1 g weight solute in 100 mL of solution to make 1% solution w/v).
Therefore, if the hypocalcemia is acute and severe, calcium chloride is given instead.
Gluconate occurs naturally in fruit, honey, and wine.
As a food additive (E574[13]), it is now known as an acidity regulator.
The Gluconate anion chelates Ca2+, Fe2+, K+, Al3+, and other metals, including lanthanides and actinides.
Gluconate is also used in cleaning products, where it dissolves mineral deposits, especially in alkaline solution.
Gluconate is also used in building and construction as a concrete admixture (retarder) to slow down the cement hydration reactions, and to delay the cement setting time.
Gluconate allows for a longer time to lay the concrete, or to spread the cement hydration heat over a longer period of time to avoid too high a temperature and the resulting cracking.
Retarders are mixed in to concrete when the weather temperature is high or to cast large and thick concrete slabs in successive and sufficiently well-mixed layers.
Gluconate aqueous solution finds application as a medium for organic synthesis.
In medicine, gluconate is used most commonly as a biologically neutral carrier of Zn2+, Ca2+, Cu2+, Fe2+, and K+ to treat electrolyte imbalance.
Gluconate, in the form of a gel, is used to treat burns from hydrofluoric acid; calcium gluconate injections may be used for more severe cases to avoid necrosis of deep tissues, as well as to treat hypocalcemia in hospitalized patients.
Gluconate is also an electrolyte present in certain solutions, such as "plasmalyte a", used for intravenous fluid resuscitation.
Gluconate is a salt of gluconic acid and quinine, which is used for intramuscular injection in the treatment of malaria.
Gluconate injections have been proposed in the past to treat anemia.
Gluconate side effects include nausea, constipation, and upset stomach.
Rapid intravenous injections of calcium gluconate may cause hypercalcemia, which can result in vasodilation, cardiac arrhythmias, decreased blood pressure, and bradycardia. Extravasation of calcium gluconate can lead to cellulitis. Intramuscular injections may lead to local necrosis and abscess formation.
It is also reported that this form of calcium increases renal plasma flow, urine production, sodium excretion, glomerular filtration rate, and prostaglandin E2 and F1-alpha levels.
Shortages of medical calcium gluconate were reported in November 2012 and November 2015 in the United States.
Historically, intravenous calcium gluconate was used as an antidote for black widow spider envenomation, often in conjunction with muscle relaxants.
This therapy, however, has since been shown to be ineffective.
Gluconate is used as mineral supplement and medication when there is insufficient calcium in the diet.
Supplementation may be done to treat or prevent osteoporosis or rickets, consequences of hypocalcemia.
Gluconate can also be taken by mouth but is not recommended by injection into a muscle.
Gluconate Injection, USP is a sterile, nonpyrogenic supersaturated solution of calcium gluconate for intravenous use only.
Gluconate provides 6% of the total calcium and stabilizes the supersaturated solution of calcium gluconate.
Uses:
Gluconate is an acidulant that is a mild organic acid which is the hydrolyzed form of glucono-delta-lactone.
Gluconate is prepared by the fermentation of dextrose, whereby the physiological d-form is produced.
Gluconate is soluble in water with a solubility of 100 g/100 ml at 20°c.
Gluconate has a mild taste and at 1% has a ph of 2.8.
Gluconate functions as an antioxidant and enhances the function of other antioxidants.
In beverages, syrups, and wine, it can eliminate calcium turbidities.
Gluconate is used as a leavening component in cake mixes, and as an acid component in dry-mix desserts and dry beverage mixes.
Gluconate occurs naturally in fruit, honey, and wine.
As a food additive it is an acidity regulator.
Gluconate is also used in cleaning products.
Gluconate is used as a cardioprotective agent in people with high blood potassium levels, with one alternative being the use of calcium chloride.
It is recommended when the potassium levels are high (>6.5 mmol/L) or when the electrocardiogram (ECG) shows changes due to high blood potassium.
Though it does not have an effect on potassium levels in the blood, it reduces the excitability of cardiomyocytes, thereby lowering the likelihood of cardiac arrhythmias.
It is also used to counteract an overdose of Epsom salts magnesium sulfate, which is often administered to pregnant women in order to prophylactically prevent seizures (as in a patient experiencing preeclampsia).
Gluconate is no longer given to pregnant women who are experiencing premature labor in order to slow or stop their contractions (other tocolytics are now used instead due to better efficacy and side effect profiles).
Excess magnesium sulfate results in magnesium sulfate toxicity, which results in both respiratory depression and a loss of deep tendon reflexes (hyporeflexia).
Gel preparations of Gluconate are used to treat hydrofluoric acid burns.
The calcium gluconate reacts with hydrofluoric acid to form insoluble, non-toxic calcium fluoride.
In addition to a 2.5% Gluconate gel being applied directly to the chemical burn, the victim should be provided with oral or injected calcium supplementation because the fluoride ion (F-) precipitates serum calcium and can thus prompt hypocalcemia.
While intravenous calcium has been used in cardiac arrest, its general use is not recommended.
Cases of cardiac arrest in which it is still recommended include high blood potassium, low blood calcium such as may occur following blood transfusions, and calcium channel blocker overdose.
There is the potential that general use could worsen outcomes.
If calcium is used, calcium chloride is generally the recommended form.
Gluconates, such as calcium gluconate and iron gluconate, are extensively used in the medical field as nutritional supplements to treat and prevent mineral deficiencies, providing a bioavailable and well-tolerated source of essential minerals that support bone health, blood oxygenation, and overall metabolic functions in patients suffering from conditions like hypocalcemia or anemia.
In the food and beverage industry, gluconates are commonly employed as additives to improve the stability, taste, and shelf life of products by acting as sequestrants or chelating agents that bind trace metal ions, which might otherwise catalyze undesirable oxidation reactions leading to spoilage, off-flavors, or discoloration in processed foods, baked goods, dairy products, and beverages.
Due to their strong metal-binding properties, gluconates are utilized in water treatment processes and industrial cleaning formulations to soften hard water by chelating calcium and magnesium ions, preventing scale formation in pipes and machinery, which enhances the efficiency and lifespan of equipment in sectors such as manufacturing, food processing, and HVAC systems.
In cosmetics and skincare formulations, gluconates are valued for their mild acidic nature and ability to stabilize products, often functioning as buffering agents or skin-conditioning ingredients that help maintain the pH balance of creams, lotions, and cleansers, while also improving the texture and efficacy of active compounds for healthier, more resilient skin.
Gluconates play an important role in pharmaceutical products beyond nutritional supplementation; they are frequently incorporated as excipients or stabilizers in liquid formulations, injectable solutions, and topical preparations, where their chelating ability helps maintain the solubility and stability of active pharmaceutical ingredients, thus ensuring product safety and effectiveness.
In agriculture, gluconates serve as micronutrient fertilizers, delivering essential minerals like iron and calcium in a form that plants can readily absorb, which supports healthy growth, improves resistance to environmental stresses, and enhances crop yield and quality, especially in soils with poor mineral availability or adverse pH levels.
In various industrial processes, gluconates are incorporated as biodegradable chelating agents and corrosion inhibitors in metalworking fluids, detergents, and textile treatments, where they help prevent metal ion-induced discoloration and degradation of materials, while being environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional, more toxic chemical agents.
During food processing, gluconates are sometimes used to regulate acidity and act as sequestrants to stabilize emulsions and improve the texture of products like processed cheese, canned vegetables, and meat products, helping to maintain consistency, flavor, and safety throughout shelf life.
In biotechnology and laboratory settings, gluconates are used in culture media to provide essential minerals in bioavailable forms for the growth of microorganisms or cells, as well as in analytical chemistry where they function as complexing agents to facilitate accurate measurements of metal ions.
Owing to their biodegradability and low toxicity, gluconates are increasingly used in environmentally conscious cleaning and remediation products, where their ability to chelate heavy metals supports the detoxification of polluted soils and waters, contributing to safer and more sustainable industrial and environmental practices.
Safety Profile:
Gluconates, such as calcium gluconate and sodium gluconate, are widely considered safe for use in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic products; however, in rare cases, they may cause mild skin or eye irritation upon direct contact with concentrated forms, which suggests the need for caution during handling of pure compounds.
Though uncommon, some individuals may experience allergic reactions when exposed to gluconates, particularly through skin contact or inhalation of dust in industrial or laboratory settings, which could manifest as redness, itching, rash, or respiratory discomfort, warranting protective measures for workers.
During manufacturing or handling of powdered gluconate compounds, inhalation of fine dust particles may irritate the respiratory tract and lead to coughing, sneezing, or shortness of breath, making adequate ventilation and use of personal protective equipment like masks important to minimize exposure.
While gluconates are used as nutritional supplements, excessive oral intake, especially of calcium or iron gluconate, can lead to adverse effects such as gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, or mineral imbalances, highlighting the importance of adhering to recommended dosages in both medical and dietary contexts.
