Application Areas of Glycolic Acid 70% Solution (CAS 79-14-1)
Glycolic acid (hydroxyacetic acid, HAA) is the smallest alpha-hydroxy carboxylic acid, carrying both a hydroxyl and a carboxyl group on a two-carbon backbone. The 70% aqueous concentration supplied by Nexal Inc. is a grade commonly specified across several industrial sectors. The categories below describe classes of use that have been established in industry for several decades and are provided for general identification only — they are not formulation recommendations.
• Industrial Cleaning & Descaling
A class of use established in industrial acid-cleaning chemistry for several decades. Glycolic acid is a water-soluble organic acid used in the maintenance of process equipment exposed to hard-water scale and metal oxide deposits.
Typical end-use categories: general industrial cleaning concentrates, equipment maintenance acids, hard-water scale removers
• Metal Surface Treatment
Historically used as a complexing agent and pH-adjusting component in metal finishing chemistry. The bifunctional structure of the molecule allows it to participate in solution chemistry where mild organic acidity is required.
Typical end-use categories: metal pretreatment baths, surface preparation solutions, general metal finishing auxiliaries
• Leather & Textile Auxiliary Chemistry
Glycolic acid has a long-standing role in leather processing and general textile auxiliary chemistry as a mild organic acid for pH control. This is a class of use established in the industry for several decades.
Typical end-use categories: leather processing auxiliaries, general textile pH-adjusting agents
• General Organic Synthesis
As a small bifunctional molecule carrying both hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, glycolic acid is of interest as a starting material or pH modifier in laboratory and industrial-scale organic chemistry.
Typical end-use categories: organic intermediates, laboratory reagents, pH-adjusting components
Physical & Chemical Profile: Glycolic acid is a water-soluble alpha-hydroxy organic acid (pKa ≈ 3.83). The 70% aqueous solution supplied by Nexal Inc. is a clear to light amber liquid with a specific gravity of 1.26–1.28 at 20 °C and a pH below 2.0. Classified as a corrosive liquid (UN 3265, Class 8, PG II); please review the SDS before handling.
