The key difference between sodium palmate and sodium palmitate is that sodium palmate is mainly used as an ingredient in bar soaps and cleansers as a gentler substitute for some harsher ingredients, whereas sodium palmitate is used to saponify oils and fats in creating soap.
Sodium palmate and sodium palmitate are two important chemical compounds that are formed as sodium salts of acidic compounds.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Sodium Palmate
3. What is Sodium Palmitate
4. Sodium Palmate vs Sodium Palmitate in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Sodium Palmate vs Sodium Palmitate
What is Sodium Palmate?
Sodium palmate is the sodium salt of palm acid. Generally, this compound appears as a white paste or granules and can be derived from a mixture of fatty acids from palm oil. This can be used as an ingredient in some bar soaps for surfactant properties and to gently cleanse the skin. It is a gentle cleanser because it can strip oils off of the skin and can cause drying of the skin. Therefore, when it is used in skincare products, it is suitable for normal to combination skin, and caution should be taken when it is used for very dry and acne-prone skin.
Moreover, sodium palmate can be considered a safe compound to be used in soap. Depending on the concentration and other ingredients in formulations, it can cause drying of the skin.
Sodium palmate is formed from the reaction of palm fatty acids with a strong base such as sodium hydroxide. This production process can be undertaken from almost any fats and alkalis. It is also known as saponification, which is the traditional method of the production of soap. Moreover, this substance can be used in cleansers and bar soaps as a gentler substitute for some harsher surfactants.
What is Sodium Palmitate?
Sodium palmitate is the sodium salt of palmitic acid. The chemical formula of this compound is C16H31NaO2. Its molar mass is 278.41 g/mol. It is a common saturated fatty acid that can be found in fats and waxes like palm oil, olive oil, and body lipids. The IUPAC name of this compound is sodium hexadecanoate.
The hydrogen bond donor count of sodium palmitate is zero, while the hydrogen bond acceptor count is 2. The rotatable bond count of this compound is 14. The heavy atom count of sodium palmitate is 19, and the formal charge is zero. The complexity of this compound is 184 degrees. It can be found in two forms: liquid and white to yellow solid or white powder form. Its melting point is 286.5 degrees Celsius. Moreover, sodium palmitate is insoluble in water and sparingly soluble in cold acid. Furthermore, it is freely soluble in ether, chloroform, and palmitic acid. Upon heating sodium palmitate to decomposition, it can emit acrid smoke and irritating fumes.
What is the Difference Between Sodium Palmate and Sodium Palmitate?
Sodium palmate and sodium palmitate are important inorganic compounds. The key difference between sodium palmate and sodium palmitate is that sodium palmate is mainly used as an ingredient in bar soaps and cleansers as a gentler substitute for some harsher ingredients, whereas sodium palmitate is used to saponify oils and fats in creating soap.
The following table summarizes the difference between sodium palmate and sodium palmitate.
Summary – Sodium Palmate vs Sodium Palmitate
Sodium palmate is the sodium salt of palm acid, while sodium palmitate is the sodium salt of palmitic acid. The key difference between sodium palmate and sodium palmitate is that sodium palmate is mainly used as an ingredient in bar soaps and cleansers as a gentler substitute for some harsher ingredients, whereas sodium palmitate is used to saponify oils and fats in creating soap.
Reference:
1. “Sodium Palmate.” Ecostore AU.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Sodium palmitate” By Claudio Pistilli – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia