Monosodium citrate, more correctly, sodium dihydrogen citrate (Latin: ''natrium citricum acidulatum''), is an

acid salt Acid salts are a class of salts that produce an acidic solution after being dissolved in a solvent. Its formation as a substance has a greater electrical conductivity than that of the pure solvent. An acidic solution formed by acid salt is made dur ...

citric acid Citric acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula HOC(CO2H)(CH2CO2H)2. It is a colorless weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in ...

. Disodium citrate and trisodium citrate are also known. It can be prepared by partial neutralisation of citric acid with an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate or

carbonate A carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid (H2CO3), characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, a polyatomic ion with the formula . The word ''carbonate'' may also refer to a carbonate ester, an organic compound containing the carbonate ...

. It has a slightly acidic taste. :NaHCO₃ + C₆H₈O₇ → NaC₆H₇O₇ + CO₂ + H₂O :Na₂CO₃ + 2C₆H₈O₇ → 2NaC₆H₇O₇ + CO₂ + H₂O It is highly soluble in water and practically insoluble in ethanol. Monosodium citrate is used as an anticoagulant in donated blood. It is used as an

alkalinizing agent Alkalinizing agents are drugs used to manage disorders associated with low pH. For example, they may be used to treat acidosis due to kidney failure. Used for oral or parenteral therapy, sodium bicarbonate is the commonly preferred alkalinizin ...

to prevent kidney stone disease. The crystals form as nearly perfect cubes.

References

Organic sodium salts Food additives Citrates Acid salts E-number additives {{organic-compound-stub