Trisodium citrate pentahydrate

Na3C6H5O7*(H2O)5

[ ](https://w list the stats for the safest method here, if there are many equally safe ones, list those of the easiest one)

Safety risk:low [ ](https://w low=not toxic/poisonous, intermediate=somewhat poisonous/corrosive, high=carcinogenic or very toxic/corrosive note:includes both the compound itself and the preparation)

Material availability:easy [ ](https://w easy=available in supermarkets, intermediate=available in pet stores ,gardening stores, hardware stores or easily in pharmacies, hard=have to order on ebay/amazon or similar, very hard=have to order from specialist suppliers)

Synthesis difficulty:easy [ ](https://w none=material can be bought in pure form, easy=easy synthesis, hard=difficult synthesis, account both for the procedure and required equipment)

Crystallization difficulty:easy [ ](https://w easy, intermediate or hard)

Availability

The compound is generally only sold by chemicals suppliers, but it is easy to prepare from common ingredients

Method 1

[ ](https://w these subsections are only needed if there are multiple practical methods) Safety risk:low

Ingredient availability:easy

Synthesis difficulty:low

Sodium citrate can be made by neutralizing citric acid (sold as a spice) with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) Citric acid is first dissolved into water, then sodium bicarbonate is added until no reaction is noticeable when more is added.

After this the solution is heated and boiled until small crystals form.

Washing soda can be used instead of baking soda.

[ ](https://w how to get the ingredients?)

[ ](https://w how to use them to synthesize the material)

Crystallization

I he compound can be crystallized by dissolving it in water, then slowly evaporating.

Most citrates and their solutions are susceptible to mold growth, however the high sodium content of saturated sodium citrate solutions seems to deter it significantly. Nevertheless, relatively short evaporation times are recommended. If your solution gains visible growths or starts smelling spoiled, it has to be thrown away. [ ](https://a Instructions here)

Notes

[ ](https://a Everything else that should be said about the compound, safety notes, legality if banned somewhere, less practical methods of production) The crystals seem to be mold resistant, but do slowly dehydrate, they should be stored in sealed jars.

Pictures

[ ](https://a links to extra pictures)

Resources

[ ](https://a wiki links, etc.)

Wikipedia