Monosodium citrate

Monosodium citrate is the monosodium salt of citric acid, with formula NaH₂C₆H₅O₇. It is used as an acidity regulator and buffering agent.

Citric acid: A triprotic organic acid with formula C₆H₈O₇, found in citrus fruits and used widely in foods. Removing one acidic proton from citric acid gives the monosodium salt.
Buffer solution: A solution that resists pH change when small amounts of acid or base are added. Monosodium citrate participates in citrate mixtures that buffer added acid or base.
Food additive: A substance added to food to achieve a technological effect such as preservation, flavor control, or texture modification. Monosodium citrate is added to foods to regulate acidity and stabilize formulations.
Disodium citrate: The disodium salt of citric acid, containing two sodium ions per citrate-derived unit. It has one more sodium ion and one fewer acidic proton than monosodium citrate.
Citrate: An ion or salt derived from citric acid by loss of one or more protons. Monosodium citrate contains the singly deprotonated citrate ion.
Henderson–Hasselbalch equation: An equation relating a buffer’s pH to its acid’s pKa and the ratio of conjugate base to acid. It estimates pH in mixtures containing citric acid and its sodium salts.
Acidity regulator: A food ingredient used to adjust or maintain a product’s acidity. This is one of the salt’s principal functions in food products.
Trisodium citrate: The fully neutralized sodium salt of citric acid, with three sodium ions per citrate ion. It represents a more fully neutralized citrate salt used for related buffering purposes.
Sodium ion: A positively charged sodium atom, Na⁺, formed when sodium loses one electron. This counterion balances the negative charge of the citrate species.
pH: A logarithmic measure of hydrogen-ion activity in a solution. Adding the salt can shift a food or formulation toward a desired pH.

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