Urea Citrate
Cocrystal of urea and citric acid in 1:1 molar ration. Tentative formula: CO(NH2)2·C3H4(OH)(COOH)3 (can contain unknown amount of water).
Properties
- Crystal system: I have no information. From the crystal shape, I can suppose that it is orthorombic.
- Crystal shape: columnar aggregates, sticks.
- Stability on air: stable.
Preparation
Dissolve urea (CO(NH2)2) and citric acid (C3H4(OH)(COOH)3·H2O) in 1:1 molar ration in water with mild heating. Mass of water should be a bit less than total mass of the compounds. Then let the solution cool. If is it not crystallizing, evaporate small drop of the solution on a glass, then use formed crystals as seeds.
Growing
Fast growing produces white amorphous mass of small needles. To grow bigger, translucent crystals of defined shape, evaporation must be extremely slow (months).
Recrystallize the compound once before growing, this also improves quality of crystals.
Solubility: I have no exact informatio, somewhere between 50 and 100 g per 100ml.
Safety
This compound is generally safe.
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