Registration Dossier

Data platform availability banner - registered substances factsheets

Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.

The new ECHA CHEM database has been released by ECHA, and it now contains all REACH registration data. There are more details on the transition of ECHA's published data to ECHA CHEM here.

Diss Factsheets

Physical & Chemical properties

Endpoint summary

Administrative data

Description of key information

Physico-chemical properties of enantiomers are essentially identical, except for those dependent on a chiral environment (e. g. rotation of plane of polarization of polarized light, i. e. optical activity). Most if not all environmental fate processes take place in a non-chiral or 'racemic' environment, and thus will not discriminate between enantiomers. L- and D-lactic acid are both ubiquitous constituents of biological systems and are produced and metabolized a. o. by many bacteria. As such, both L- and D-lactic acid are completely biodegradable. Therefore, data for L-lactic acid are fully valid for D-lactic acid, and hence for general lactic acid.

A more detailed overview on the physico-chemical properties is being provided in the following.

Lactic acid is a slightly viscous, colour- and odourless liquid and has neither flammable, explosive nor oxidising properties. Further properties and characteristics are summarised in the following table:

Melting point

18 °C

Boiling point

216.6 °C

Density

1.2 g/cm3

Vapour pressure

0.038 Pa at 25 °C

Partition coefficient Log Kow

- 0.54 at 20 °C

Water solubility

860 g/L

Surface tension

70.7 mN/m

Self-ignition temperature

>= 400 °C

Dissociation constant pKa

3.85 at 20 °C

Viscosity

18.4 mPa s at 20 °C

Additional information