What is Copper Stearate?
Copper stearate is an organic acid salt with the chemical formula Cu(C18H35O2)2. Copper stearate is a white to light yellow crystalline solid that is insoluble in water at room temperature and soluble in organic solvents such as alcohols and ketones. Its decomposition temperature is approximately 230-250 degrees Celsius.
What are the Methods for Making Copper Stearate?
Copper stearate is usually prepared by reacting stearic acid with copper salts. For example, when sodium stearate reacts with copper nitrate, the oxidation heat is released and at the same time, nitrate ions are oxidized to oxygen by atomic oxygen. Alternatively, an equimolar ethanol solution of copper acetate and an ethanol solution of stearic acid are mixed, and the resulting precipitate is washed with ethanol to remove free acid, and the resulting product can be recrystallized with dioxane. The product can be vacuum dried at 100°C in the presence of phosphorus pentoxide to obtain a light blue powdery product.
What are the Functions of Copper Stearate?
1. Antibacterial effect: Copper stearate has antibacterial effect, so it is often used as a preservative and antibacterial agent.
2. Lubricating effect: Copper stearate can be used as a lubricant in mechanical equipment to make the machine run more smoothly.
3. Stability: Copper stearate can increase the stability of foods, drugs and cosmetics, thereby extending their shelf life.
What are the Applications of Copper Stearate?
1. Industrial application: Copper stearate is used in industry to make plastics, coatings, pigments, paper and ink, etc.
2. Food additive: Copper stearate is widely used as a preservative and stabilizer in food, beverages and candies.
3. Medical application: Copper stearate can be used to treat copper deficiency anemia and can also be used as a commonly used oral topical drug.
4. Cosmetic applications: Copper stearate is added to cosmetics because it can increase the stability of the product and regulate skin oil secretion, thereby improving oily skin.
5. Applications in other fields: Copper stearate is widely used in the manufacture of matches, fuel additives, metallurgical additives and electroplating additives.
What are the Studies on Copper Stearate?
Copper stearate is a promising catalyst for the in situ combustion of heavy oils. The researchers tested its effectiveness through high-pressure differential scanning calorimetry (HP-DSC) and adiabatic reaction calorimetry (ARC) and compare the catalytic effects of copper stearate, nickel stearate, iron stearate and copper oxide. The results show that copper stearate has excellent catalytic oxidation effect, which can effectively reduce activation energy, induction time and combustion temperature, and improve coke combustion efficiency.
