Sodium PCA is a chemical compound, sodium salt of 2-Pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid (PCA). PCA is an acronym for Pyrrolidone carboxylic acid.
The name describes the structure of the molecule:
"Sodium PCA" comes from the combination of the words
- "Sodium", indicating the presence of the sodium ion, and
- "PCA" which stands for "Pyrrolidone Carboxylic Acid", a derivative of the glutamic acid, a natural amino acid.
Description of raw materials used in production:
- Glutamic acid - An amino acid that can be sourced from plant proteins or produced by fermentation from bacteria.
- Sodium hydroxide (or caustic soda) - Used to neutralize the pyrrolidone carboxylic acid and convert it into its salt form.
The industrial synthesis process takes place in different steps:
- Production of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid - Glutamic acid undergoes cyclization to produce pyrrolidone carboxylic acid.
- Neutralization - The pyrrolidone carboxylic acid is then neutralized with sodium hydroxide to form sodium PCA.
It appears as colourless liquid.
What it is used for and where
Cosmetics
In cosmetics it is used as a moisturizer in liquid soaps, shampoos etc.
- Hair conditioning agent. A large number of ingredients with specific purposes can co-exist in a hair shampoo: cleansers, conditioners, thickeners, mattifying agents, sequestering agents, fragrances, preservatives, special additives. However, the indispensable ingredients are the cleansers and conditioners as they are necessary and sufficient for hair cleansing and manageability. The others act as commercial and non-essential auxiliaries such as: appearance, fragrance, colouring, etc. Hair conditioning agents have the task of increasing shine, manageability and volume, and reducing static electricity, especially after treatments such as colouring, ironing, waving, drying and brushing. They are, in practice, dispersing agents that may contain cationic surfactants, thickeners, emollients, polymers. The typology of hair conditioners includes: intensive conditioners, instant conditioners, thickening conditioners, drying conditioners.
- Skin conditioning agent - Humectant. Humectants are hygroscopic substances used to minimise water loss in the skin and to prevent it from drying out by facilitating faster and greater absorption of water into the stratum corneum of the epidermis. The epidermis is the most superficial of the three layers that make up the human skin (epidermis, dermis and hypodermis) and is the layer that maintains hydration in all three layers. In turn, the epidermis is composed of five layers: corneum, the most superficial, lucidum, granulosum, spinosum and basale. Humectants have the ability to retain in the stratum corneum the water they attract from the air and have the function of moisturising the skin. It is better to use them before emollients that are oil-based.
In this study the ability of Sodium pyrrolidone carboxylate to penetrate and restructure the skin has been examined (1).
Other uses
It is used in the following products:
- inks and toners
- leather treatment products
- paper chemicals
- dyes
Molecular Formula: C5H6NNaO3
Molecular Weight: 151.097 g/mol
CAS: 28874-51-3 54571-67-4 153832-15-6
EC Number: 259-234-9
Synonyms:
- Sodium pyrrolidone carboxylate
- sodium 5-oxopyrrolidine-2-carboxylate
- 2-Pyrrolidone-5-carboxylic acid sodium salt
- Sodium 5-oxo-DL-prolinate
- Monosodium 5-oxoproline
- Sodium PCA
- sodium 2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxylate
- PCA Soda
- Proline, 5-oxo-, sodium salt (1:1)
- Nalidone
- 5-Oxo-DL-proline, monosodium salt
- DL-Proline, 5-oxo-, monosodium salt
- Sodium (S)-5-oxopyrrolidine-2-carboxylate
- sodium 2-pyrrolidone-5-carboxylate
- DL-Sodium pyroglutamate
- Sodium DL-pyroglutamate
- Sodium pyrrolidone carboxylate
- sodium dl-pyrrolidonecarboxylate
References_____________________________________________________________________
(1) Lin SY, Duan KJ, Lin TC. Direct or indirect skin lipid-ordering effect of pyrrolidone carboxylate sodium after topical treatment with penetration enhancers. Biomed Mater Eng. 1995;5(1):9-20.
Sodium PCA 
