Aluminium Distearate, Aluminum Stearate, 300-92-5

Aluminium Distearate, Aluminum Stearate, 300-92-5

Product Information File: Aluminum Distearate (CAS: 300-92-5)

1. Product Description & Identification

Aluminum Distearate is a white to slightly yellowish, waxy fine powder with the chemical formula C₃₆H₇₁AlO₅. As a metallic soap formed from stearic acid and aluminum, this product is positioned as a versatile additive across various industries. Due to its unique chemical structure, it exhibits critical properties such as solubility in organic solvents, strong gel formation, and excellent water repellency.

• Chemical Name: Aluminum Distearate

• Synonyms: Aluminum hydroxy distearate, Hydroxybis(octadecanoato-O)-aluminum, Aluminum di-stearate

• CAS Number: 300-92-5

• EINECS Number: 206-101-8

• Molecular Formula: C₃₆H₇₁AlO₅

• Molar Mass: 610.93 g/mol

• Appearance: White or pale yellow, waxy powder

2. Physical and Chemical Properties

The key physical and chemical parameters that determine the performance of Aluminum Distearate are:

3. Production Process

Aluminum Distearate is produced through controlled chemical reactions:

1. Reaction: High-purity stearic acid is reacted with an aluminum source (typically aluminum isopropoxide or aluminum sulfate).

2. Medium: The reaction is usually carried out in an anhydrous environment, often with specific solvents, to maximize the product's purity and gel-forming capacity. Temperature and pH are carefully controlled.

3. Isolation: The resulting product is precipitated, separated by filtration, and washed.

4. Finishing: The final product is dried and milled until the desired particle size and moisture content are achieved.

4. Sectoral Applications and Functions

Aluminum Distearate performs critical functions across a wide range of industries.

Plastics & Polymer Industry

• Heat Stabilizer: Prevents thermal degradation during the processing of PVC and other polymers. Its non-toxic nature offers an advantage in sensitive applications like food packaging.

• Lubricant & Processing Aid: Improves melt flow during processes like extrusion and injection molding, facilitates mold release, and enhances the surface quality of the final product.

• Pigment Dispersant: Ensures the homogeneous dispersion of fillers and pigments within the polymer matrix, improving color consistency and mechanical properties.

Paints, Inks & Coatings

• Thickener (Thixotropic Agent): Regulates the flow properties of paints and inks, prevents pigment settling during storage, and inhibits dripping during application.

• Water Repellent Agent: Even in water-based systems, it forms a hydrophobic film on the surface, enhancing the weather resistance of coatings.

• Matting Agent & Surface Regulator: Helps achieve the desired surface feel and gloss level in varnishes and paints.

Cosmetics & Personal Care

• Emulsifier & Stabilizer: Prevents phase separation in water-oil emulsion products like creams, lotions, and lipsticks, ensuring long shelf life and a stable texture.

• Thickener & Texture Regulator: Imparts a rich, creamy, and smooth feel to products, enhancing the consumer experience.

• Pigment Binder: Ensures that pigments in color cosmetics like foundation and eyeshadow adhere homogeneously to the skin.

• Water-Repellent Additive: Increases the longevity of products such as waterproof mascara and sunscreens.

Construction Chemicals

• Hydrophobic Additive: Mixed into cement, mortar, plaster, and grouts to reduce water absorption, increase freeze-thaw resistance, and prevent efflorescence (salt stains) on surfaces.

• Rust Preventive: Used in protective coatings for metal structural elements.

Metalworking & Lubricants

• Thickener (Gelling Agent): Creates a gel-like structure within mineral and synthetic oils, enabling the production of consistent greases.

• Corrosion Inhibitor: Forms a barrier in cutting fluids and protective oils that shields metal surfaces against rust and oxidation.

Oil Drilling

• Drilling Mud Additive: Increases the viscosity of oil-based drilling fluids, facilitating the transport of drilled rock cuttings to the surface.

• Defoamer: Controls unwanted foam generation during the drilling process.

• Stabilizer: Helps the drilling fluid maintain its properties under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions.

5. Why Choose Aluminum Distearate? (Advantages)

• Versatility: A single product can perform multiple functions (thickener, water repellent, lubricant) across various industries (from plastics to cosmetics).

• Strong Hydrophobic Effect: Its water insolubility and excellent water repellency make it indispensable for all applications requiring protection against moisture.

• Process-Friendly: Its moderate viscosity and gel-forming capacity allow for easy incorporation into formulations and achieving the desired consistency.

• Safety: Its non-toxic nature permits its use in sensitive applications such as cosmetics and plastics that come into contact with food.

6. Comparison with Alternatives

When compared to other metallic stearates, Aluminum Distearate offers distinct advantages:

In conclusion, Aluminum Distearate (CAS: 300-92-5) is a reliable, high-performance solution partner in industrial formulations, thanks to its excellent hydrophobic properties, effective gel-forming capacity, and versatile application areas.

What are the Advantages of Aluminum Distearate?

Aluminum distearate stands out due to the unique benefits it provides to formulations:

• Excellent Thickener and Gelling Agent: It exhibits a superior thickening effect, especially in paints, inks, and lubricating greases. It effectively thickens low-viscosity oils to achieve the desired consistency.

• Strong Water Repellency (Hydrophobicity): It is a naturally water-repelling substance. Thanks to this property, it is used to impart waterproofing to materials such as leather, rope, cement, and textiles.

• Effective Stabilizer and Dispersant: It prevents the separation of pigment and oil in paints, ensuring colors remain homogeneous. Additionally, it acts as a non-toxic heat stabilizer in plastics like PVC.

• Versatile Lubricant: It serves as a lubricant that facilitates processing in the production of plastics and ropes.

• Defoaming Agent: It effectively controls unwanted foam in petroleum drilling muds.

• Synergistic Effect: When used together with other metallic soaps like zinc stearate or calcium stearate, it creates a synergy that enhances performance.

What is the Usage Ratio?

The usage ratio of aluminum distearate varies depending on the application and the desired effect. While a specific ratio depends on the entire formulation and other components, typical ratios for some sectors are available:

• Paint Industry: In oil-based paints, adding it up to 2% by weight of the total mixture is sufficient to achieve a butter-like consistency.

• Pigment Coating: An older study on coating pigment surfaces to prevent agglomeration indicated that using a 2% (by weight of oil) aluminum stearate solution was highly effective. Lower (0.5%) or higher (4%) ratios were found to be less effective for this purpose.

Why Should You Choose Aluminum Distearate?

The key features that distinguish aluminum distearate from its competitors and make it the preferred choice are:

• It is the Most Widely Used Type: It is the most preferred and most commonly used member of the aluminum stearate family (mono, di, tri). This is a testament to its broad application range and balanced properties.

• Versatility and Cost-Effectiveness: A single product can be used across multiple industries and for different purposes (thickener, water repellent, lubricant, stabilizer). This versatility simplifies the supply chain and provides a cost advantage.

• Superior Performance Balance: It combines good gel-forming capacity with strong water repellency. This balance makes it ideal for applications requiring both consistency and protection.

• Safety and Regulatory Compliance: Its non-toxic nature allows its use as an emulsifier in cosmetic products and as a stabilizer in food packaging. It meets food contact safety requirements set by agencies like the FDA.

In summary, aluminum distearate is a safe and cost-effective solution capable of undertaking critical tasks such as thickening, waterproofing, stabilizing, and lubricating. Its balanced performance and wide range of applications make it an indispensable component in many industrial formulations.