Stearic acid is white flakes, beads or blocks at room temperature. solid. It is composed of saturated fatty acids mainly C16 and C18. It is insoluble in water, slightly soluble in benzene and carbon disulfide, easily soluble in hot ethanol, non-toxic and tasteless, and has the general chemical properties of organic carboxylic acids.
Stearic acid is a fatty acid widely found in nature. Almost all oils contain stearic acid in varying amounts. The content in animal fats is relatively high. For example, the content in butter can reach 24%. %, the content in vegetable oil is less, tea oil is 0.8%, palm oil is 6%, but the content in cocoa butter is as high as 34%. There are two main production methods for industrial stearic acid: fractionation method and pressing method. A decomposing agent is added to the hardened oil, and then it is hydrolyzed to obtain crude fatty acids, which are then washed, distilled, and decolorized to obtain the finished product, while glycerol is produced as a by-product.
It is understood that stearic acid has a wide range of uses, including the following roles in the cultural and educational supplies industry:
Stearic acid is an important ingredient in the manufacture of crayons Raw material, stearic acid can improve the gloss and opacity of crayons, and the amount of stearic acid in crayons accounts for 30%;
In addition, stearic acid can also be used in pencil cores to increase the hardness of the pen cores. The smoothness improves the coloring power and adhesion;
Stearic acid also serves as a gelling agent for solid glue.