Potassium Benzoate

About This Product

Potassium benzoate, C7H5KO2 with CAS number 582-25-2, is supplied as a white granular powder, freely soluble in water and more soluble than the sodium salt. The benzoate anion carries the function in both salts, so the choice between them turns on the cation. Sodium raises the conductivity of a fluid, which matters where a system is monitored by conductivity or where the liquid contacts electrical or electronic components. Sodium also interferes in some catalytic and glass-contacting processes where alkali metal balance is controlled. Potassium benzoate provides the same corrosion inhibition and microbial control with potassium instead, and its higher solubility allows more concentrated dosing solutions, which reduces storage volume and the risk of crystallisation in cold dosing lines. It is used as a preservative in industrial fluids and water-based systems, and as an inhibitor in coolant and hydraulic formulations. As with all benzoates, activity as a preservative depends on acidic conditions, since the undissociated acid is the active species. It is used in industrial and metalworking fluids, corrosion inhibitor packages, water-based coatings and adhesives, and in low-sodium formulations. Bio Green Chem supplies potassium benzoate to specification on assay, loss on drying, acidity, chlorinated compounds, iron and heavy metals.