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Diss Factsheets
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EC number: 201-180-5 | CAS number: 79-14-1
- Life Cycle description
- Uses advised against
- Endpoint summary
- Appearance / physical state / colour
- Melting point / freezing point
- Boiling point
- Density
- Particle size distribution (Granulometry)
- Vapour pressure
- Partition coefficient
- Water solubility
- Solubility in organic solvents / fat solubility
- Surface tension
- Flash point
- Auto flammability
- Flammability
- Explosiveness
- Oxidising properties
- Oxidation reduction potential
- Stability in organic solvents and identity of relevant degradation products
- Storage stability and reactivity towards container material
- Stability: thermal, sunlight, metals
- pH
- Dissociation constant
- Viscosity
- Additional physico-chemical information
- Additional physico-chemical properties of nanomaterials
- Nanomaterial agglomeration / aggregation
- Nanomaterial crystalline phase
- Nanomaterial crystallite and grain size
- Nanomaterial aspect ratio / shape
- Nanomaterial specific surface area
- Nanomaterial Zeta potential
- Nanomaterial surface chemistry
- Nanomaterial dustiness
- Nanomaterial porosity
- Nanomaterial pour density
- Nanomaterial photocatalytic activity
- Nanomaterial radical formation potential
- Nanomaterial catalytic activity
- Endpoint summary
- Stability
- Biodegradation
- Bioaccumulation
- Transport and distribution
- Environmental data
- Additional information on environmental fate and behaviour
- Ecotoxicological Summary
- Aquatic toxicity
- Endpoint summary
- Short-term toxicity to fish
- Long-term toxicity to fish
- Short-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Long-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Toxicity to aquatic algae and cyanobacteria
- Toxicity to aquatic plants other than algae
- Toxicity to microorganisms
- Endocrine disrupter testing in aquatic vertebrates – in vivo
- Toxicity to other aquatic organisms
- Sediment toxicity
- Terrestrial toxicity
- Biological effects monitoring
- Biotransformation and kinetics
- Additional ecotoxological information
- Toxicological Summary
- Toxicokinetics, metabolism and distribution
- Acute Toxicity
- Irritation / corrosion
- Sensitisation
- Repeated dose toxicity
- Genetic toxicity
- Carcinogenicity
- Toxicity to reproduction
- Specific investigations
- Exposure related observations in humans
- Toxic effects on livestock and pets
- Additional toxicological data
Water solubility
Administrative data
Link to relevant study record(s)
- Endpoint:
- water solubility
- Type of information:
- experimental study
- Adequacy of study:
- supporting study
- Reliability:
- 4 (not assignable)
- Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:
- documentation insufficient for assessment
- Principles of method if other than guideline:
- None described.
- GLP compliance:
- not specified
- Water solubility:
- ca. 2 440 other: g/kg H2O
- Temp.:
- 25 °C
- Remarks on result:
- other: pH not specified
- Conclusions:
- Glycolic acid was found to be soluble in water at 25°C (water solubility of about 2440 g/kg H2O).
- Executive summary:
Glycolic acid was found to be soluble in water at 25°C (water solubility of about 2440 g/kg H2O).
- Endpoint:
- water solubility
- Type of information:
- experimental study
- Adequacy of study:
- key study
- Study period:
- 13 January 2021 - 18 August 2021
- Reliability:
- 2 (reliable with restrictions)
- Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:
- guideline study with acceptable restrictions
- Qualifier:
- according to guideline
- Guideline:
- EU Method A.6 (Water Solubility)
- Qualifier:
- according to guideline
- Guideline:
- OECD Guideline 105 (Water Solubility)
- Deviations:
- yes
- Remarks:
- saturation not achieved
- GLP compliance:
- yes (incl. QA statement)
- Type of method:
- flask method
- Key result
- Water solubility:
- > 1 215 g/L
- Conc. based on:
- test mat. (dissolved fraction)
- Incubation duration:
- 96 h
- Temp.:
- 30 °C
- pH:
- 9
- Key result
- Water solubility:
- > 904 g/L
- Conc. based on:
- test mat. (dissolved fraction)
- Incubation duration:
- 96 h
- Temp.:
- 20 °C
- pH:
- 9
- Key result
- Water solubility:
- > 805 g/L
- Conc. based on:
- test mat. (dissolved fraction)
- Incubation duration:
- 96 h
- Temp.:
- 10 °C
- pH:
- 9
- Key result
- Water solubility:
- > 1 246 g/L
- Conc. based on:
- test mat. (dissolved fraction)
- Incubation duration:
- 96 h
- Temp.:
- 30 °C
- pH:
- 7
- Key result
- Water solubility:
- > 797 g/L
- Conc. based on:
- test mat. (dissolved fraction)
- Incubation duration:
- 96 h
- Temp.:
- 20 °C
- pH:
- 7
- Key result
- Water solubility:
- > 803 g/L
- Conc. based on:
- test mat. (dissolved fraction)
- Incubation duration:
- 96 h
- Temp.:
- 10 °C
- pH:
- 7
- Key result
- Water solubility:
- > 1 243 g/L
- Conc. based on:
- test mat. (dissolved fraction)
- Incubation duration:
- 96 h
- Temp.:
- 30 °C
- pH:
- 5
- Key result
- Water solubility:
- > 832 g/L
- Conc. based on:
- test mat. (dissolved fraction)
- Incubation duration:
- 96 h
- Temp.:
- 20 °C
- pH:
- 5
- Key result
- Water solubility:
- > 814 g/L
- Conc. based on:
- test mat. (dissolved fraction)
- Incubation duration:
- 96 h
- Temp.:
- 10 °C
- pH:
- 5
- Key result
- Water solubility:
- > 862 g/L
- Conc. based on:
- test mat. (dissolved fraction)
- Incubation duration:
- 96 h
- Temp.:
- 10 °C
- pH:
- ca. 7
- Remarks on result:
- other: Solvent is LC-MS grade water - it's pH was not determined but assumed to be close to 7
- Key result
- Water solubility:
- > 852 g/L
- Conc. based on:
- test mat. (dissolved fraction)
- Incubation duration:
- 96 h
- Temp.:
- 20 °C
- pH:
- ca. 7
- Remarks on result:
- other: Solvent is LC-MS grade water - it's pH was not determined but assumed to be close to 7
- Key result
- Water solubility:
- > 1 290 g/L
- Conc. based on:
- test mat. (dissolved fraction)
- Incubation duration:
- 96 h
- Temp.:
- 30 °C
- pH:
- ca. 7
- Remarks on result:
- other: Solvent is LC-MS grade water - it's pH was not determined but assumed to be close to 7
- Details on results:
- Due to issues with the method validation, for the aqueous solubility which gave low recoveries and poor precision, the validation results were not acceptable. It was felt that this was probably due to interferences due to the use of the pH buffers which resulted in changed chromatography for the method. Based on this it was concluded that the analytical method used was not suitable for analysis in buffers.
These issues with the analytical method plus the fact that, for most of the aqueous solubility samples, all the test item had dissolved prior to analysis, suggesting saturation had not been achieved, meant that it was considered that definitive results for water solubility could not be obtained with this method. Based on this aqueous solubility results have been reported as greater than values. - Conclusions:
- The solubility of the test substance was found to be greater than >852 g/L in LC-MS grade water at 20°C. The effect of pH was measured using buffer solutions of pH 5, 7, 9. The impact of changing pH was considered limited. At each pH, and also for LC-MS grade water, the effect of temperature was assessed by measured the solubility at 10, 20 and 30 °C. As was to be expected there was an increased solubility at 30 °C but limited difference between 10 and 20 °C results.
- Endpoint:
- water solubility
- Type of information:
- experimental study
- Adequacy of study:
- supporting study
- Reliability:
- 1 (reliable without restriction)
- Rationale for reliability incl. deficiencies:
- guideline study
- Reason / purpose for cross-reference:
- reference to same study
- Qualifier:
- according to guideline
- Guideline:
- OECD Guideline 105 (Water Solubility)
- Version / remarks:
- ; EPA OPPTS 830.7840 (Water Solubility)
- Deviations:
- no
- Remarks:
- (The study was conducted according to the test guidelines in effect at the time of study conduct.)
- GLP compliance:
- yes
- Type of method:
- flask method
- Water solubility:
- > 300 g/L
- Temp.:
- 22 °C
- pH:
- 4
- Water solubility:
- > 300 g/L
- Temp.:
- 22 °C
- pH:
- 7
- Water solubility:
- > 300 g/L
- Temp.:
- 22 °C
- pH:
- 10
- Details on results:
- purified water, 22°C: solubility > 300 g/L
- Conclusions:
- The solubility of glycolic acid >99% was found to be greater than 300 g/L in purified water, pH 4, pH 7 and pH 10 buffer solutions at ambient laboratory temperature (approximately 22°C).
- Executive summary:
The solubility of glycolic acid >99% was found to be greater than 300 g/L in purified water, pH 4, pH 7 and pH 10 buffer solutions at ambient laboratory temperature (approximately 22°C).
Referenceopen allclose all
Solubility Results
Test System |
Sample 1 Concentration (g/L) |
Sample 2 Concentration (g/L) |
Mean Concentration (g/L) |
Pure water |
761 |
771 |
766 |
pH 4 buffer |
496 |
487 |
492 |
pH 7 buffer |
374 |
381 |
377 |
pH 10 buffer |
340 |
326 |
333 |
Description of key information
1000 g/L is used as the key value for Chemical Safety Assessment, as the limit value for the risk assessment model EUSES.
Key value for chemical safety assessment
- Water solubility:
- 1 000 g/L
- at the temperature of:
- 20 °C
Additional information
Two experimental data and one publication are available:
- Water solubility > 852 g/L at 10, 20 a,d 30°C, and pH 5, 7 and 9 (K2; flask; Foster 2021),
- Water solubility > 300 g/L (333 to 766 g/L) at 22°C, and pH 4, 7 and 10 (S1; flask; HLS 2002),
- Water solubility ca 2440 g/kg water at 25°C, corresponding to 1293 g/L (S4; literature, Apelbat 1990).
The Foster study is regarded as the key study, despite restrictions due to issues with the analytical method validation, because of higher interest than the HLS study, based on higher limit value. The Apelbat publication result is consistent with the above data, but no sufficient details were available to assess its reliability.
With regard to risk assessment, as a worst-case, the maximum value of 1000 g/L that can be used by EUSES in CHESAR model was retained as key value for purpose of CSA, rather than the higher experimental limit value. However, the solubility value is so high that it does not impact the relevant RCR calculations (Sewage Treatment Plant and Human via environment only).
Information on Registered Substances comes from registration dossiers which have been assigned a registration number. The assignment of a registration number does however not guarantee that the information in the dossier is correct or that the dossier is compliant with Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (the REACH Regulation). This information has not been reviewed or verified by the Agency or any other authority. The content is subject to change without prior notice.
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