Difference Between Zinc Gluconate and Zinc Sulfate

The key difference between zinc gluconate and zinc sulfate is that the zinc gluconate is an organic form of zinc supplement that has a longer shelf life, whereas the zinc sulfate is an inorganic form of zinc supplement which has a short shelf life and more side effects comparatively.

Both zinc gluconate and zinc sulfate are types of zinc supplements. Zinc is an essential micronutrient to our body. Usually, we get this micronutrient through food but, in zinc deficiency, a zinc supplement is the best choice.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Zinc Gluconate 
3. What is Zinc Sulfate
4. Side by Side Comparison – Zinc Gluconate vs Zinc Sulfate in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Zinc Gluconate?

Zinc gluconate is a type of organic zinc supplement which has a zinc salt of gluconic acid. It is an ionic compound which has zinc cation and gluconate anion. Moreover, it is a dietary supplement, and we can produce it industrially via fermentation of glucose. Therefore, this product has a long shelf life as well.

Generally, some zinc supplements contain cadmium as an ingredient, but cadmium can lead to kidney failure; thus, zinc gluconate is a better choice because it contains the lowest amount of cadmium among other zinc supplements.

Besides, the chemical formula of this compound is C₁₂H₂₂O₁₄Zn, and the molar mass is 455.68 g/mol. Further, its melting point can range from 172 to 175 °C.

What is Zinc Sulfate?

Zinc sulfate is an inorganic zinc supplement that has zinc salt of sulfuric acid. It is a water-soluble compound, and the chemical formula is ZnSO₄. The molar mass of this compound is 161.47 g/mol. And, the melting point is 680 °C, and upon further heating, this compound decomposes. Further, this compound may exist as anhydrous form or as one of three hydrated forms.

When considering the uses of zinc sulfate, it is a dietary supplement and is useful to prevent zinc deficiency. Moreover, it is useful as an astringent, as a coagulant in the production of rayon, as a precursor to the production of the pigment lithopone, as an electrolyte for zinc electroplating processes, etc.

What is the Difference Between Zinc Gluconate and Zinc Sulfate?

Zinc gluconate is a type of organic zinc supplement which has zinc salt of gluconic acid while Zinc sulfate is an inorganic zinc supplement which has zinc salt of sulfuric acid. The key difference between zinc gluconate and zinc sulfate is that the zinc gluconate is an organic form of zinc supplement that has a longer shelf life, whereas the zinc sulfate is an inorganic form of zinc supplement which has a short shelf life and more side effects comparatively.

Moreover, the chemical formula of zinc gluconate is C₁₂H₂₂O₁₄Zn while the chemical formula of zinc sulfate is ZnSO₄. The molar mass of zinc gluconate is 455.68 g/mol while for zinc sulfate it is 161.47 g/mol. More importantly, most zinc supplements have a high amount of cadmium as an ingredient, but the presence of cadmium can lead to kidney failure. However, in zinc gluconate, the cadmium content is minimum; thus, the effect on the kidney is also minimum. Therefore, this is also a significant difference between zinc gluconate and zinc sulfate.

Summary – Zinc Gluconate vs Zinc Sulfate

Zinc gluconate is a type of organic zinc supplement which has zinc salt of gluconic acid. Zinc sulfate is an inorganic zinc supplement which has zinc salt of sulfuric acid. The key difference between zinc gluconate and zinc sulfate is that the zinc gluconate is an organic form of zinc supplement that has a longer shelf life, whereas the zinc sulfate is an inorganic form of zinc supplement which has a short shelf life and more side effects comparatively.

Reference:

1. “Which Form of Zinc Is Best?” LIVESTRONG.COM, Leaf Group, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Zinc gluconate structure” By Minerallad at English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Zinc Sulfate” By en:User:Slashme – Re-drawn from scratch in BKchem+perl+inkscape+vim, Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia