Uses of Chloroacetic Acid

Chloroacetic Acid has a wide variety of uses some of which are listed below:

• Many reactions utilize the high reactivity of the C-Cl bond in chloroacetic acid.
• It is used as a chemical intermediate in the manufacture of ethyl chloroacetate, glycine, synthetic caffeine, sarcosine, thioglycolic acid, and EDTA.
• Chloroacetic acid is widely used to prepare the thickening agent’s carboxymethyl cellulose and carboxymethyl starch.  
• It is used as an alkylating agent, herbicide, bacteriostat, and also as a preservative. 
• It is also used in the preparation of metal derivatives and is used in the manufacturing of various dyes and drugs.
• Chloroacetic acid is used in the manufacturing of phenoxy herbicides by etherification with chlorophenols. 

Chloroacetic acid is an organochlorine compound that happens to be a conjugate acid of chloroacetate. It is derived from acetic acid. Chloroacetic acid is a chlorocarboxylic acid that is acetic acid with a 2-chloro substituent. Industrially, this acid is known as monochloroacetic acid (MCA), whose chemical formula is C₂H₃ClO₂. The other names of this acid are chloro ethanoic acid, 2-chloro acetic acid, and 2-chloroethanoic acid. It is a haloacetic acid whose concentration of acid can be around 80%. It is an effective building block for organic synthesis. This acid in its solid form is a colorless or light-brown crystalline material, whereas in its aqueous form it is a colorless solution of the white crystalline solid. This acid is corrosive to metals and tissues. It is used as a chemical intermediate, herbicide, bacteriostat, and also as a preservative. When chloroacetic acid is heated to decomposition, it emits highly toxic and corrosive hydrogen chloride and phosgene fumes.