Peroxynonanoic acid

Peroxynonanoic acid (also peroxypelargonic acid) is a peroxycarboxylic acid. It is formed from precursor compounds contained in detergents and acts as a bleach.

Peroxynonanoic acid

Identifiers
CAS Number	3058-35-3
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChemSpider	8373415
PubChem CID	10197915
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID80436626
InChI InChI=1S/C9H18O3/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9(10)12-11/h11H,2-8H2,1H3 Key: YPHMCUWNPAXYOX-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES CCCCCCCCC(=O)OO
Properties
Chemical formula	C9H18O3
Molar mass	174.24 g·mol−1
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references

Properties

Peroxynonanoic acid crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system in the space group P21/c with the lattice parameters a = 23.49 Å; b = 4.80 Å, c = 9.64 Å and β = 106.0° as well as four unit cells.^[1]

Use

Peroxynonanoic acid acts as a bleaching agent in detergents but is not contained in the detergent itself; it is only formed during the washing process. Hydroperoxide ions, for example from sodium perborate, react with an activator to form peroxycarboxylic acid, which acts as the actual bleaching agent, achieving satisfactory results at lower temperatures than with sodium perborate alone. The main activators used are tetraacetylethylenediamine, which produces peroxyacetic acid (mainly in Europe), and sodium nonanoyloxybenzenesulfonate, which produces peroxynonanoic acid (mainly in America and Asia).^[2][3]