Ferrous lactate, or iron(II) lactate, is

chemical compound A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

with idealized formula (H₂O)_n. No compound has been characterized to establish composition, purity, or structure.

Production

Iron(II) lactate can be produced through several reactions, among which are calcium lactate with

iron(II) sulfate Iron(II) sulfate (British English: iron(II) sulphate) or ferrous sulfate denotes a range of salts with the formula Fe SO4·''x''H2O. These compounds exist most commonly as the heptahydrate (''x'' = 7) but several values for x are know ...

according to the following reaction: ::Ca(C3H5O3)2(aq) + FeSO4(aq)->CaSO4v + Fe(C3H5O3)2(aq) Another route yielding iron(II) lactate is to combine

lactic acid Lactic acid is an organic acid. It has a molecular formula . It is white in the solid state and it is miscible with water. When in the dissolved state, it forms a colorless solution. Production includes both artificial synthesis as well as nat ...

with calcium carbonate and

Uses

Iron (II) lactate is used as a reagent in the production of

proton-exchange membrane fuel cell Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), also known as polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells, are a type of fuel cell being developed mainly for transport applications, as well as for stationary fuel-cell applications and portable ...

s (PEMFCs), specifically in the production of cathode catalytic converters used in these cells. It is an

acidity regulator Acidity regulators, or pH control agents, are food additives used to change or maintain pH (acidity or basicity). They can be organic or mineral acids, bases, neutralizing agents, or buffering agents. Typical agents include the following acids ...

and, since it oxidizes on contact with air, it has found use as a

color retention agent Colour retention agents are food additives that are added to food to prevent the colour from changing. Many of them work by absorbing or binding to oxygen before it can damage food (antioxidants). For example, ascorbic acid ( vitamin C) is often ad ...

for foodstuffs such as olives. It is also used to fortify foods with iron, as a remedy for anemia due to iron deficiency, and as a nutritional supplement in tablet or pill form. As a food additive it is coded under the

E number E numbers ("E" stands for "Europe") are codes for substances used as food additives, including those found naturally in many foods such as vitamin C, for use within the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Commonly ...

E585.

References

Food additives Iron(II) compounds E-number additives Lactates {{organic-compound-stub