Calcium formate(HCOO2Ca) and Sodium chloride are all with the appearance of white crystal or small particles and powders, with no colors and tastes. It’s hard to distinguish by physical method. Therefore, it’s not surprising to use low-value products such as sodium chloride for adulteration in the market. From the molecular formula, calcium formate consists of two carboxyl groups and one calcium ion. Formic acid is a weak acid, it will be hydrolyzed in the aqueous solution, so the aqueous solution of calcium formate should be weakly alkaline. It also because formic acid is connected to carboxyl group by a hydrogen atom directly, it has the properties of both carboxyl and aldehyde groups.
There is only one chloride ion and sodium ion in sodium chloride, it’s the combination of strong acid anion and alkaline salt ion, and the brine solution is neutral. Sodium chloride doesn’t have the carboxyl and aldehyde properties of formic acid. It’s difficult to judge whether calcium formate is mixed with sodium chloride by the color of PH paper. There is no short cut between the identification of calcium formate and sodium chloride, the only way is by chemical testing which is a kind of special process that dissolve calcium formate in water and appears with formate. Silver mirror reactions or similar as heating copper hydroxide can be used to test whether there are any other materials be added in calcium formate by the results of generate precipitation.
As a high quality calcium formate manufacturer, it’s not only to get knowledge of the physical properties and manufacturing technique, but also the market quotation, here list some methods of choosing best quality of calcium formate:
- Observe
Unadulterated calcium formate with high quality for both feed and industrial grades are all white crystal shape, particle is even without any impurities and looks bright under sunlight, very beautiful from the naked eyes.
- Smell
High quality calcium belongs to ordinary chemicals, you can smell to see whether it has a pungent smell, calcium formate that produced with high purity of formic acid by Sidley Chemical doesn’t have this pungent smell; while
some produced with by-products of acid must have.
- Taste
Usually dip a little with your finger and taste it can help to judge the difference of industrial and feed grade. Industrial grade tastes bitter and astringent stronger, and the heavy metal content is also very high, while when producing feed grade, the heavy metal content should be strictly controlled, and should not contain organic toxin, tastes slightly bitter, then the bitter will disappear in a little while without any astringent.
- Melt
Dissolve calcium formate in water, put appropriate amount of product into glass or transparent disposable cup, add water, stir it several times until it melts, the solution clarifies and could be seen at a glance.
High quality calcium formate that produced by Sidley Chemical is made of high purity formic acid and calcium carbonate. After further purification, calcium content is higher, heavy metal content is lower, the granule is even, and the water solubility is better, so it has been recognized by most of the customers.