Benzalkonium saccharinate, also known as alkyldimethylbenzylammonium saccharinate, is a cationic surfactant. It is an organic salt classified as a quaternary ammonium compound. Benzalkonium saccharinate is used as a biocide, disinfectant, preservative, deodorant, antistatic agent, and surfactant. It is a mixture of benzododecinium and myristalkonium cations with a saccharin anion.
Solubility and physical properties Benzalkonium saccharinate is a white to off-white waxy solid that melts between . It is readily soluble in ethanol and acetone, but unlike similar compounds such as benzalkonium chloride, it is insoluble in water.
Applications Benzalkonium saccharinate is used as an active disinfectant ingredient in many consumer products, including disinfectant sprays, surface cleaners, air fresheners, and laundry treatments sold under the Lysol and Scrubbing Bubbles brands. In the original patent for the compound, the authors claimed it was effective as a bactericide at 1/3 of the concentration required for benzalkonium chloride, and it was about 25% more effective as a fungicide. During the COVID-19 pandemic, products containing benzalkonium saccharinate as the active ingredient were the first to be approved for use against the SARS-CoV-2 virus as a result of direct laboratory testing by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Toxicology
In a Canadian regulatory assessment of n-alkyl (40% C12, 50% C14, 10% C16) dimethylbenzylammonium saccharinate, known as Onyxide 3300, it was found to have moderate acute toxicity by the oral route and low acute toxicity via the dermal route in animal studies.
Preparation
Benzalkonium saccharinate was first described in a 1955 patent by Shibe, Cohen, and Frant for the Gallowhur Chemical Corporation. It had been prepared by combining aqueous solutions of benzalkonium chloride and sodium saccharinate to produce a precipitate, and vacuum drying over sodium hydroxide to isolate it.
See also
References