Product name : Stearic Acid

IUPAC name : octadecanoic acid

CAS # :  57-11-4

Items                                Properties
Molecular formula          C₁₈H₃₆O₂
Molar mass                     284.478 g/mol
Density                             0.847 g/cm3 at 70 °C
Melting point                   69.6 °C, 343 K, 157 °F
Boiling point                   383 °C, 656 K, 721 °F
Refractive index (nD)    1.4299
Appearance                   waxy solid

Characteristics and Application :

Stearic acid is a saturated fat that's mainly in animal products. It's also in some plant foods like chocolate.  It's very stable in storage and during frying.  A relatively large percentage of stearic acid consumed is converted to oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat). Stearic acid is used to form margarines, shortenings, spreads, and as a cream base for baked products.  Even though stearic acid is a saturated fat, studies have suggested that it has little effect on blood cholesterol levels, because such a high proportion is converted to oleic acid.

A natural fatty acid from palm and coconut oils that gives skin products their creamy texture.

Uses :

Stearic acid is useful as an ingredient in making candles, plastics, dietary supplements, oil pastels and cosmetics, and for softening rubber. It is used to harden soaps, particularly those made with vegetable oil.

Stearic acid is also used as a parting compound when making plaster castings from a plaster piece mold or waste mold and when making the mold from a shellacked clay original. In this use, powdered stearic acid is dissolved in water and the solution is brushed onto the surface to be parted after casting.

Esters of stearic acid with ethylene glycol, glycol stearate and glycol distearate, are used to produce a pearly effect in shampoos, soaps, and other cosmetic products. They are added to the product in molten form and allowed to crystalize under controlled conditions.