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Sodium DL-lactate

CAS 72-17-3

Used in 2 industrial sectors tracked by the EPA.

Molecular structure of 72-17-3
1 Na⁺
US production6.5M lb
Import volumeZero
Import dependency0%
Top sourceNo public record

Production is reported production, not a complete census of factories. Production reporting year: 2023. Import value and source-country shares describe a shared customs category, not a separate chemical measurement.

Where It Comes From

Customs basis: HS 291811 · basket

EPA reports by year
2023
US production 6.5M lb · Imports Zero
2019
US production 39.9M lb · Imports Zero

HS customs code 291811 covers 35 tracked chemicals in total. US Census does not break out this chemical's share, so the country-of-origin mix is not available. EPA CDR reports import dependency at the chemical level separately, shown above.

EPA-registered manufacturers (3)
Evonik
Hawkins
Macdermid

Why It Matters

Sectors
FoodCore Chemicals
Downstream UsesNot recorded
FDA Shortage Status
No FDA shortage records

Industrial Uses

Used in 2 sectors as 4 functional roles.

  • •Chelating agent in All Other Chemical Product and Preparation ManufacturingProcessing—incorporation into formulation, mixture, or reaction product
  • •Etching agent in All Other Chemical Product and Preparation ManufacturingProcessing—incorporation into formulation, mixture, or reaction product
  • •Plating agent in All Other Chemical Product and Preparation ManufacturingProcessing—incorporation into formulation, mixture, or reaction product
  • •Preservative in Food, beverage, and tobacco product manufacturing (100%)Processing—incorporation into formulation, mixture, or reaction product

Chemical Identity

CAS72-17-3
PubChem CID23666456
DTXSIDDTXSID6052829
FormulaC3H5NaO3
Mol. Weight112.06 g/mol
SMILESCC(C(=O)[O-])O.[Na+]

Data Sources

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Brief citations

Sodium DL-lactate (CAS 72-17-3) https://chemicalindependence.com/chemical/72-17-3/ EPA CompTox (DSSTox): DTXSID6052829. Retrieved 2026-04-06. https://comptox.epa.gov/dashboard/chemical/details/DTXSID6052829 PubChem: 23666456. Retrieved 2026-04-06. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/23666456 EPA Chemical Data Reporting: 72-17-3. Reporting year: 2023. https://www.epa.gov/chemical-data-reporting EPA Chemical Data Reporting: CAS 72-17-3. Reporting year: 2023. https://www.epa.gov/chemical-data-reporting