Walk back through the history of analytical chemistry, and you bump into the story of how chemists sought new ion-pair reagents to tame the wild world of reversed-phase liquid chromatography. In the late twentieth century, a buzz floated around laboratories about the value of alkylsulfonates for manipulating retention times in both pharmaceutical and food safety analyses. Among these, 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt Anhydrous grabbed attention for its blend of hydrophobic and ionic character. Academic and industrial labs chasing better results for separating charged molecules, particularly amines and basic pharmaceuticals, explored it with tenacity. Reading old lab notebooks, it’s clear that chemists didn’t stumble upon this compound by chance. They pursued it for its unique blend of chain length, solubility, and reliable ion-pairing properties—seeking a balance not found in shorter or longer sulfonates.
Ask anyone filtering options for chromographic agents, and 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt Anhydrous pops up as a workhorse. This white crystalline powder dissolves in water, serves as an ion-pairing reagent, and can take a beating under a range of pH conditions. The salt’s anhydrous nature makes it stable on the shelf, easy to weigh out, and fuss-free for method development. Over years spent at the bench, I’ve watched colleagues appreciate its consistency, avoiding the unpredictability that creeps in with hydrated forms or contaminated batches. You see its use ranging from pharmaceutical quality control to investigating metabolites in environmental samples.
1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt is more than just a molecular formula on a label. With a six-carbon hydrophobic tail and a sulfonate group, this compound bridges water solubility and organic compatibility. It usually lands on the balance as a free-flowing powder, bright white in color if pure enough for HPLC grade work. With good thermal stability and resistance to decomposition under normal lab conditions, chemists handle it without needing ice buckets or dark bottles. Its relatively high melting point tells the story of strong ionic bonds at play. Water soaks it up easily, and in mobile phases for chromatography, it holds its own, resisting hydrolysis even across hours-long runs at modest temperatures.
Manufacturers label this salt according to rigorous standards. Purity often pushes past 98 percent, with chloride, heavy metal, and moisture levels tightly controlled, as these can muddy analytical results. Batches ship with certificates of analysis tracing trace elements, UV-absorbance, and microbial counts. Walking through a chemical storeroom, you often spot sturdy containers with hazard pictograms and instructions for storage in cool, dry places. Any deviation here can mess up an entire analytical batch, so trust among analysts depends on tight labeling and documentation. Safety datasheets outline what to do if you spill it, catch a whiff, or wind up with it on your skin.
Synthesizing 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt follows a straightforward path. The typical method walks through the acidification of 1-hexanol with concentrated sulfuric acid, introducing a sulfonic acid group via sulfonation. Neutralization with sodium hydroxide snaps the molecule into its sodium salt form. Chemists extract, purify, and dry the product under reduced pressure to strip away lingering moisture. Over the years, chemists tweak the parameters, swapping solvents, adjusting acid concentrations, or refining purification steps to squeeze out the highest yields. For research use, purity matters more than quantity, so labs skip shortcuts that bulk manufacturers might use.
As a sulfonate, this compound stands its ground in the face of many reagents, but it plays nicely in ion-exchange reactions and as a nucleophile in some organic syntheses. Its sulfonate group acts as a strong acid, allowing it to engage in metathesis reactions, and its sodium counterion can swap out for other cations when needed. Organic chemists sometimes use it to tailor-make ionic liquids or surfactants with unique wetting or electrostatic properties. In chromatography, the real strength lies in its ability to form tight ion pairs with basic analytes—modifying their movement across hydrophobic phases and leading to crisp, reproducible separations.
During my time in academic and industrial settings, I’ve seen this chemical go by many names. Some catalogs list it as sodium hexane-1-sulfonate, others as sodium n-hexanesulfonate, or even sodium hexylsulfonate. The variation in naming often confuses early-career analysts, especially those running searches in chemical databases or ordering supplies for the first time. CAS numbers help bridge gaps, but walking around lab spaces, people fall back on shorthand or acronyms like HSSA. Brand names don’t carry much weight here; what matters most is the purity and batch documentation.
Lab safety officers treat 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt with the same respect as other dry powders that pose inhalation or contact risks. Its relatively low toxicity lulls some analysts into a false sense of comfort, but contact with eyes or mucous membranes burns and irritates. Safety goggles, gloves, and proper air handling keep exposures in check, and good housekeeping minimizes contamination. Chemical hygiene rules emphasize cleaning spills promptly and storing the salt away from strong oxidizers or acids to stave off unwanted reactions. Training in handling, labeling, and disposal forms the backbone of most operational protocols.
This compound finds heavy use as an ion-pairing reagent in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), opening doors for handling all sorts of charged molecules that might otherwise slip through detection. Pharmaceutical labs deploy it for routine quality control, separating impurities from active ingredients in finished products. Environmental chemists tap it for tracking nitrogenous contaminants or pesticide metabolites in water and biological fluids. Food safety teams turn to its resolving power for tracing taints, colorants, or preservatives that don’t play nice with basic reversed-phase HPLC. Having spent years developing analytical methods, I’ve seen how labs lean on 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt for delivering crisp peaks and sharp baselines in the toughest samples.
Academic circles and industry alike continuously tweak chromatographic protocols, searching for more sustainable, precise, and reliable analysis. Developing new stationary phases compatible with 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt, or exploring buffer systems that lengthen column life, remains a bustling area of research. My own team has tested biodegradable or recyclable alternatives, but few match the anhydrous salt’s flexibility or low background noise. Instrument manufacturers now design pumps and injectors that accommodate mobile phases with alkylsulfonates, proof of how deep this compound has rooted itself in laboratory workflows.
Extensive toxicity studies show that, in small quantities, the substance doesn’t pose serious risks. Metabolism and excretion data in lab animals point to low bioaccumulation and minor irritation at the site of contact. Some respiratory risk appears during handling of large amounts of fine powder in unventilated spaces, mirroring the hazards of other sulfonate salts. Chronic exposure studies lag behind those for solvents and some acids, so many labs write conservative protocols for regular users. Wastewater discharge grabs attention from environmental regulators since high concentrations of sulfonates can alter microbial life in water treatment plants.
Chromatography shows no signs of giving up on 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt Anhydrous. With pushes towards greener chemistry, researchers explore ways to recycle used mobile phases or recover the salt from waste streams. New applications now emerge in battery manufacturing, biocatalysis, and the synthesis of designer surfactants. In my career, I’ve seen priorities shift from raw performance to lifecycle, safety, and sustainability. Companies now seek renewable feedstocks or processes that give a lower environmental footprint, and regulatory agencies step up demands for transparency in supply chains. The challenge for the next decade lies in balancing the salt’s proven track record against the rising bar for environmental and occupational health, pushing for answers that respect both vintage reliability and modern values of safety and stewardship.
1-Hexanesulfonic acid sodium salt anhydrous looks like a mouthful, but in the real world, this chemical often shows up in labs and research settings. Most people don’t spot it on store shelves, but as someone who's spent late nights running chromatographic methods, I can say it’s got a knack for clearing up some tricky separation problems.
Lab folks use 1-hexanesulfonic acid sodium salt anhydrous mainly in the process known as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This method sorts and analyzes compounds in a mixture, especially those that share chemical similarities and refuse to cooperate. This salt acts as an ion-pairing reagent. Certain drugs or chemical samples include molecules that cling hard to each other and don’t like to let go. Regular water and solvents can’t pull them apart, but toss in some 1-hexanesulfonic acid sodium salt and the separation becomes smoother. The chemical latches onto ions in the sample, coaxing them to behave during the analysis.
Many pharmaceuticals can’t be quality checked without this step. For example, if I’m testing heart medication containing basic amines, conventional analysis often leads to results that just don’t add up. Using this salt in the mobile phase of HPLC gives better definition, cleaner peaks, and more trust in the data. Reliable numbers matter, not just for scientists, but for the people relying on accurate dosages every day.
Environmental scientists lean on this salt when looking for pollutants in water. Some agricultural chemicals hide in rivers and lakes, and regular tests can miss them if they cluster or camouflage themselves. With 1-hexanesulfonic acid sodium salt, researchers pick out these sneaky contaminants and get a better sense of what’s actually in the water supply. Drinking water gets tested, not just for the obvious stuff, but for things that linger at the edge of detection.
Despite its usefulness, this chemical comes with quirks. Any HPLC operator will tell you about the pain of cleaning out the column after frequent use; traces of the reagent love to stick around, messing up later experiments. Also, sourcing the salt can eat up budget lines, especially for small labs or researchers in less-funded settings. If budgets tighten, compromises on quality control can put both research and public health at risk.
Handling is another story. Like many lab chemicals, this one doesn’t belong in the kitchen—it deserves respect, gloves, and ventilation. I’ve learned—sometimes from skin irritation or a lingering odor in the lab coat pocket—to follow safety rules to the letter. Keeping chemicals secure reduces accidents and avoids unnecessary exposure.
The best step forward focuses on education and investment. Giving chemists and lab staff updated training means fewer mistakes and cleaner results. Funding support for new, greener reagents that offer the same results without clinging to equipment or challenging basic safety would reduce headaches for lab workers everywhere. Sharing tips between labs—something the Internet has made a lot easier—helps early-career scientists skip rookie mistakes and improve outcomes in both medical and environmental testing.
If the aim is safe medicine and cleaner environments, tapping into the value of 1-hexanesulfonic acid sodium salt sodium salt anhydrous remains key, as long as it’s handled with respect, care, and community know-how.
1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt Anhydrous carries the chemical formula C6H13NaO3S. Its molecular weight lands at 188.22 g/mol. Even though this compound sounds pretty technical, it’s been a quiet workhorse in many labs that tackle analytics and separations in chemistry.
Looking at this molecule, with its sulfonate group linked to a six-carbon chain and sodium salt, you’re dealing with a tool often used in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In my experience, HPLC methods using 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt Anhydrous as an ion-pairing reagent have helped sort out some gnarly separation problems. Charged molecules can pose headaches, and this reagent levels the playing field by tweaking retention times and boosting signal clarity.
Choosing the right reagent in analytical chromatography isn’t just about finding something that works. Safety, reactivity, shelf life, and environmental footprint all factor in. Labs I've worked in pay attention to these traits, especially since mistakes or poor choices can slow productivity, stretch budgets, or even risk safety. Many analysts pick this compound because it dissolves well and doesn't introduce oddballs into the system that throw off detection.
Every good separation depends on knowing exactly what goes into your mobile phase. A mix-up at the gram level can mess with results, cause headaches for quality control, or even lead to published retractions. To avoid surprises, scientists punch in the compound’s molecular weight—188.22 g/mol—to get their calculations exact every single time. Tiny errors at the molecular stage multiply into big errors in results, especially with sensitive assays.
This reagent, like others in the sulfonate family, also does not tend to leave tough residues. This helps prevent cross-contamination from one sample batch to the next. That's a practical bonus when you’re running dozens, even hundreds, of samples every day.
There’s always room to up the game. Labs can help by training staff on detailed reagent prep, stressing the importance of accuracy with every molecular weight calculation. Many mix it up too fast or sloppy, thinking “close enough” will do—until the system clogs, peaks drift, and projects grind to a halt. Consistent checks with fresh standards pay off, both in cleaner data and less wasted time.
It also helps to source chemicals from reputable suppliers. Lower-cost versions sometimes come with mystery impurities that hurt both instrument lifespan and data trustworthiness. Plenty of experienced technicians will back this up with stories of instruments needing repair after a bargain buy. Trust matters in supply chains as much as in the science itself.
As more labs work toward greener methods, demand grows for safer and more sustainable reagents. 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt Anhydrous hits a good mark—it’s reliable and manageable—but every compound choice works best supported by ongoing education, thoughtful sourcing, and transparent quality control. Small decisions in the lab carry weight far beyond the beaker.
1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt Anhydrous isn't something you leave lying on a shelf like a bottle of vitamins. In the real world, this white crystalline powder gets a lot of use in labs and chemical analysis rooms. Though it’s a familiar name in chromatography, its chemical profile demands careful handling and storage. Anyone who's worked around chemicals knows that careless storage can trigger headaches, ruined materials, or worse, serious health and safety accidents.
From my own work with sodium salts and similar reagents, moisture always spells trouble. Anhydrous forms like this one soak up water from the air, so if you leave the lid loose, you end up with a cake of damp powder—a headache for anyone needing precise measurements. It needs an airtight container. Sealed glass or high-quality plastic jars work well. Outfit the storage spot with desiccants—simple silica gel packs pulled from product packaging are often enough.
Temperature matters. This sodium salt hates the kind of heat you get from direct sun or radiators. Steady, room-temperature shelves work. No stacking next to heaters, windows, or any place hit by a midday sunbeam. My worst mistake involved shelving chemicals along a south-facing wall—heat crept up, packaging weakened, and we lost half a batch to clumping and possible decomposition. Cool, dark corners keep both product quality and safety tighter.
Label every container with the full chemical name, concentration, and the last check or receipt date. Sloppy labeling leads to confusion and, in a pinch, can trigger mix-ups that cost labs time and money. Store 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt Anhydrous away from anything acidic or oxidizing. A little acid from another bottle breaks everything down faster, causing real risks—think toxic fumes or unpredictable reactions.
Keep the storage area well ventilated and dry. Humidity builds up fast even in closed cabinets, and stale air increases the chance of skin or eye irritation when someone scoops from the jar. Chemical storage rooms I’ve managed always had fans or air vents aimed near chemical racks. With good airflow, odors and vapors clear out, and folks working nearby can breathe easier.
Spills might look harmless—just powder on a benchtop. In truth, it spreads fast and absorbs water around sinks or pipes. Always keep paper towels and neutralizing materials nearby, with gloves meant for chemical work. My team once used regular kitchen towels on a spill, but chemicals burned straight through, teaching us why labs stock spill kits.
Even large chemical suppliers echo these steps. Though the technical jargon gets thicker in corporate guides, the message matches the way university and industry labs keep materials safe. No one wins by cutting corners on labeling, dryness, or airtight seals. There’s a direct link between well-organized storage and long-term chemical stability. Reduced waste and fewer safety incidents follow, which is something regulators and insurers appreciate too.
Tracking storage temperatures with cheap digital thermometers works better than sticky notes or half-remembered room readings. Color-changing silica gel packs flag rising humidity. Staff training, plus quarterly storage audits, catch problems before they turn serious. All these steps build a culture that treats both product and people with respect. That’s the real bottom line for storing 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt Anhydrous—and for handling any chemical that can react when you let your guard down.
1-Hexanesulfonic acid sodium salt anhydrous doesn’t sound like something you would find at the local store, unless your local store supplies chemical labs. Most people outside the sciences never cross paths with it. In my chemistry days, though, this compound showed up at my workbench more often than I ever expected. Known for its role in chromatographic separation, it helps to divide molecules out of tangled chemical mixtures. Many folks assume compounds in the lab are only risky if they carry dramatic warning labels or stories of accidents. 1-Hexanesulfonic acid sodium salt anhydrous proves life isn’t always that simple.
This chemical fits into the surfactant family. The Environmental Protection Agency and the European Chemicals Agency haven’t listed it as a major toxin or carcinogen. That said, it’s not harmless either. Scientists trust reliable sources like PubChem, which flag this substance as an irritant. Touching the powder or breathing in dust could lead to skin rashes, sore eyes, or coughing. Safety Data Sheets point out the danger of irritation and remind users of the risk if powder escapes into the air. In my own lab routine, I’d see folks waving a container a little carelessly and immediately smell the faint sharpness in the air as a warning sign to put on a mask and gloves.
Hazards at work aren’t just about acute toxicity or dramatic explosions. Lab safety often comes down to repetition—dozens of minor exposures over the years. Overconfident or poorly trained workers breathe in powdery dust or wash their hands half-heartedly, then pay the price months later with strange rashes or mild asthma. 1-Hexanesulfonic acid sodium salt anhydrous doesn’t claim headlines like heavy metals, but it creeps up on those who don’t pay attention. A chemist who skips gloves to avoid the hassle eventually gets stinging cuts on their hands where the compound lands. Infection risk rises, productivity falls, and from that point, training on safety becomes much more than a rulebook exercise.
Ventilation stands out as the easiest protective measure in the lab. Every well-run workspace installs hoods and air filters to grab dust before it hits the lungs. Gloves, goggles, and lab coats cut the risk further. Washing hands and cleaning spills fast keeps potential exposure low. Some workers laugh at these steps, especially if the safety lecture drags on. But watching someone cough after inhaling chemical powder sticks in your memory, especially if they need a doctor. Lab managers who build safety culture, not just checklists, see fewer accidents—and happier staff. Good habits matter more than any single rule written on a wall.
Better packaging promises another step forward. Suppliers who use better-sealed containers and clear instructions make it easier for buyers to understand what they’re handling. I’ve seen product upgrades where spill-proof bottles replaced leaky jars and instantly reduced workplace accidents. Training new staff on correct handling wins lifelong converts to solid safety, especially if they hear about past mistakes and close calls.
Many chemicals fly under the public’s radar until a small accident or a mishap at a big lab. 1-Hexanesulfonic acid sodium salt anhydrous deserves respect—not fear, but care based on experience and good information. Solid daily practice, open reporting, and strong teamwork keep minute hazards from becoming long-term problems. The science and industry world needs that kind of level-headed vigilance every day—not just for the headline-making risks, but for the slow-burn dangers, too.
Anyone who works in a laboratory knows the frustration that comes from unreliable chemicals. If the purity of a reagent drops, experiments can grind to a halt or worse—yield results that lead research down the wrong path. In the world of reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography, 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt Anhydrous plays an important role. For analysts developing robust HPLC methods, doubts about chemical grade lead to wasted effort and time.
Labs that depend on 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt Anhydrous usually seek purity at or above 99%. Manufacturers publish certificates of analysis with batch numbers because research, food testing, and pharmaceutical validation teams scrutinize each deliverable. Trace impurities—metals, moisture, or organic residuals—threaten this salt’s role as a mobile phase modifier. People who’ve run HPLC know contamination throws retention times and detection limits off-kilter, making subtle differences signal trouble fast.
Reputable suppliers run elemental analyses, limit heavy metals like lead and arsenic to set thresholds (sometimes below 0.001%), and keep chloride or sulfate ions at minimal levels. Volatile matter causes issues, so careful drying counts. Each lab bench, from universities to pharmaceutical QA centers, has stories about batches failing due to higher moisture content, so anhydrous form doesn’t mean an afterthought.
Routinely, labs check their supplies with melting point runs, IR spectra, and chromatographic purity profiling. International pharmacopeias, including the USP and EP, regularly update lists of required tests, and any vendor worth its salt (pun intended) adapts. If a bottle label promises ≥99% purity, a backroom conversation has already covered titration data and checks against unexpected peaks in an HPLC run. Some of the best work in method development gets lost if labs skip these checks.
The least glamorous part of the job is troubleshooting. Batches with purity closer to 97% or unknown profiles wind up costing money. Ingredient lists in high-performance chromatography protocols grow long, making single-offending contaminants a headache to trace. In my own experience of setting up complex quantitation experiments, tiny undetected levels of calcium or magnesium from “almost pure” chemical batches would gunk up columns and derail method validations. This was not an abstract risk; test prep delayed projects and forced last-minute supplier changes.
Buying from sources who prioritize traceability sets a foundation. Proper storage conditions also shape outcomes; anhydrous salts absorb water fast, especially if left poorly capped. Desiccators on the shelf seem minor, but every researcher who’s opened a clumped bottle mid-experiment knows the pain. Calls for greater supplier transparency echo in procurement meetings. Detailed safety data sheets, expanded batch certificates, and consistent packaging design all play into trust. For teams looking to avoid repeated headaches, cross-checking batch credentials before every use pays off.
In critical chromatography, every percent of purity in 1-Hexanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt Anhydrous makes a difference. Cutting corners affects research reproducibility—and anyone in the trenches of method development has learned that lesson firsthand.
| Names | |
| Preferred IUPAC name | Sodium hexane-1-sulfonate |
| Other names |
Sodium hexanesulfonate Sodium 1-hexanesulfonate Hexanesulfonic acid sodium salt n-Hexanesulfonic acid sodium salt 1-Hexanesulfonic acid sodium salt n-Hexanesulfonate sodium salt |
| Pronunciation | /ˈwʌn ˌhɛk.seɪnˈsʌl.fə.nɪk ˈæs.ɪd ˈsoʊ.di.əm sɔlt ænˈhaɪ.drəs/ |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS Number | 2832-51-1 |
| 3D model (JSmol) | `3DModel:JSmol=C(C)(C)(C)(C)CS(=O)(=O)[O-].[Na+]` |
| Beilstein Reference | 1721394 |
| ChEBI | CHEBI:64347 |
| ChEMBL | CHEMBL3324106 |
| ChemSpider | 54607 |
| DrugBank | DB02139 |
| ECHA InfoCard | ECHA InfoCard: 100.040.736 |
| EC Number | [2832-45-3] |
| Gmelin Reference | 85381 |
| KEGG | C01832 |
| MeSH | D006555 |
| PubChem CID | 23665756 |
| RTECS number | MO3850000 |
| UNII | Z9U2F3465U |
| UN number | UN3077 |
| CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | DTXSID9020702 |
| Properties | |
| Chemical formula | C6H13NaO3S |
| Molar mass | 254.32 g/mol |
| Appearance | White to off-white powder |
| Odor | Odorless |
| Density | 1.05 g/cm³ |
| Solubility in water | Soluble in water |
| log P | -3.5 |
| Acidity (pKa) | 1.2 |
| Basicity (pKb) | 12.1 |
| Magnetic susceptibility (χ) | -6.1e-6 cm³/mol |
| Refractive index (nD) | 1.432 |
| Dipole moment | 4.31 D |
| Thermochemistry | |
| Std molar entropy (S⦵298) | 357.6 J·mol⁻¹·K⁻¹ |
| Pharmacology | |
| ATC code | **A16AX** |
| Hazards | |
| Main hazards | Causes serious eye irritation. Causes skin irritation. May cause respiratory irritation. |
| GHS labelling | GHS02, GHS07 |
| Pictograms | GHS07 |
| Signal word | Warning |
| Hazard statements | H302 + H332 |
| Precautionary statements | Precautionary statements: P261, P264, P280, P301+P312, P305+P351+P338, P337+P313 |
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | 2-1-0 |
| Flash point | > 230 °C |
| Lethal dose or concentration | LD50 Oral Rat 2340 mg/kg |
| LD50 (median dose) | LD50 (median dose): Rat oral 4360 mg/kg |
| NIOSH | MW8575000 |
| PEL (Permissible) | PEL: Not established |
| REL (Recommended) | 0.5% |
| Related compounds | |
| Related compounds |
1-Hexanesulfonic acid Sodium dodecyl sulfate Sodium octanesulfonate Sodium decanesulfonate Sodium heptanesulfonate Sodium hexanesulfonate hydrate |
