Product Overview
Oxalic Acid ACS Grade is a white, odorless crystalline solid (oxalic acid dihydrate, C2H2O4·2H2O, CAS 6153-56-6) that we stock, pack, and ship from our Taylor, Texas warehouse. It is a dicarboxylic acid — also sold under the synonyms ethanedioic acid and oxalic acid dihydrate — valued for two things: strong acidity and its ability to complex metal ions. That combination is why it shows up in metal cleaning lines, wood restoration shops, water-treatment plants, and analytical labs. The buyers we pack this for are QC leads running titrations, finishing shops pulling rust and scale off metal, and wood processors bleaching stock before finishing.
Why This Concentration
ACS Grade means the material is supplied for laboratory and analytical work where purity and lot-to-lot consistency matter. If you are standardizing solutions, running metal-ion determinations, or feeding an analytical method, ACS Grade is the correct call — an uncontrolled technical material can carry impurities that skew results. If your use is heavy-duty and non-analytical, such as bulk rust removal or industrial cleaning, ACS Grade still works; you are simply paying for purity headroom your process may not need. Because this is a dry solid rather than a prepared solution, you control the working concentration yourself: dissolve to a stronger solution for aggressive scale and rust removal, or to a weaker one for pH adjustment and delicate substrates. Every lot we ship is backed by documentation, so what you dissolve on Tuesday behaves like what you dissolved last quarter.
Chemical Profile
Oxalic acid dihydrate is an odorless, colorless to white crystalline solid. Its density is 1.653 g/cm³ and it dissolves readily in water, about 13-14 g per 100 mL at 20 °C. Vapor pressure is negligible, so the handling concern at room temperature is dust, not vapor. The formula is C2H2O4·2H2O with a molecular weight of 126.07, registered under CAS 6153-56-6; it melts near 101 °C in its own water of hydration. In practice, that profile means a stable, easy-to-dose dry acid: it stays put in the bag, dissolves fast when you need a working solution, and does not off-gas in storage.
Industrial Applications
Oxalic acid earns its place on the shelf because it does double duty — it is acidic and it chelates iron.
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Metal cleaning and rust removal. Oxalic acid dissolves rust and scale by converting iron oxides into soluble iron oxalate complexes. Finishing and maintenance shops use it to clean and brighten metal surfaces before further processing.
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Analytical reagent. In the lab it serves as a titrant and reagent for metal-ion determinations. The ACS Grade purity is what makes it suitable for this work.
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Wood bleaching. Restoration and wood-processing operations dissolve it into a working solution to pull iron staining and gray weathering out of wood, returning the substrate to a uniform tone before finishing. The same action applies in textile bleaching.
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pH adjustment. Water-treatment and process operators use it to bring pH down in industrial streams where a solid, meterable organic acid is preferred.
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Chemical manufacturing. It functions as a reagent in organic synthesis and other chemical reactions where a strong dicarboxylic acid is called for.
Handling & Storage
The signal word for this product is Danger (per the product's GHS classification). Its hazard statements: H302 Harmful if swallowed; H312 Harmful in contact with skin; H315 Causes skin irritation; H318 Causes serious eye damage; H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure (per the product's GHS classification). Take H318 seriously — this solid causes serious eye damage, so sealed goggles and chemical-resistant gloves are the minimum any time you open a container or make up a solution. Control dust and work with adequate ventilation.
Storage is straightforward for a dry acid: keep containers closed in a cool, dry area away from incompatible materials, moisture, and direct sunlight. HDPE or glass containers are appropriate for repacked or dissolved material. Handled this way, the product stores well — its low vapor pressure means nothing is escaping a sealed container. This handling guidance is reviewed by Andre Taki, DOT Hazmat Specialist.
Hazmat & Shipping
We ship oxalic acid as a packaged dry solid, and every order that leaves our dock is checked against the Hazardous Materials Table (per 49 CFR 172.101) before carrier pickup — correct packaging, closure, and documentation for the material as classified. That verification is part of our standard outbound process on every hazmat-capable lane we run, reviewed by our DOT Hazmat Specialist. You receive sealed, properly labeled containers with the paperwork your receiving dock and safety officer expect.
Documentation
A Safety Data Sheet ships with every order, available in English, Spanish, French, and Japanese. A technical data sheet is available for spec review before you buy, and every lot ships with a lot-specific Certificate of Analysis — so your QC team can verify the material against its actual production lot, not a generic spec sheet.
Why Buy from Alliance Chemical
We are a chemical distributor, and shipping regulated materials is the job — not an afterthought. Orders ship daily from our Taylor, TX warehouse in DOT-compliant packaging, packed by people who handle acids every working day. Pack sizes run from 2 lb jars for bench and small-batch work up to 55 lb bags for production use, so you buy at the scale you consume. Shipping and handling guidance on this page is reviewed by a DOT Hazmat Specialist. If you need the SDS, TDS, or a lot COA before ordering, ask — documentation is part of the product.
