ART
BEAUTY & WELLNESS
CRAFT
CULTURE & HISTORY
ENTERTAINMENT
ENVIRONMENT
FOOD & DRINKS
REVERSE ENGINEERING
SCIENCES
SPORTS
TECHNOLOGY
WEARABLES
Lactic Acid: Wackenroder's Calcium Lactate Split with Oxalic Acid (US Dispensatory 1907)
Charlie

Created by

Charlie

28. October 2026DE
1
0
0
0
0

Lactic Acid: Wackenroder's Calcium Lactate Split with Oxalic Acid (US Dispensatory 1907)

Wackenroder's lactic acid: skimmed milk, milk sugar, chalk and water kept warm for a month. As the acid forms, the chalk takes it up as calcium lactate. That salt is crystallised and then split with exactly enough oxalic acid to free the lactic acid; the lime falls as calcium oxalate. Source: The Dispensatory of the United States of America (1907), Acidum Lacticum. Pharmacopoeial lactic acid, used as food-grade, as ruled. Unknown: how the free acid is separated afterwards; the Dispensatory does not say, so it is linked to an unknown head. The sulphuric-acid version is a separate blueprint. Picture drawn by Youblob.
Intermediate
5 weeks

Instructions

1

Mix 10 : 2.5 : 2 : 20

Mix 10 parts skimmed milk, 2.5 parts milk sugar, 2 parts chalk and 20 parts water. Ours: grams.

Materials for this step:

Milk - SkimmedMilk - Skimmed10 parts
Milk SugarMilk Sugar2.5 parts
Calcium Carbonate - WhitingCalcium Carbonate - Whiting2 parts
WaterWater20 parts

Tools needed:

Balance ScaleBalance Scale
Glass VesselGlass Vessel
2

Digest at about 24 °C for a month

Keep it at about 23.8 °C (75 °F) for a month, or until the chalk has dissolved.

Tools needed:

Glass VesselGlass Vessel
Thermometer - LabThermometer - Lab
3

Press, clarify and crystallise the calcium lactate

Press it out, clarify it, and evaporate it so the calcium lactate crystallises. Recrystallise it.

Tools needed:

CheeseclothCheesecloth
Filter PaperFilter Paper
Evaporating DishEvaporating Dish
Hot PlateHot Plate
4

Split the salt with oxalic acid

Decompose the calcium lactate with oxalic acid in exactly the saturating proportion. Oxalic acid is poisonous if swallowed: gloves. Unknown: how the lactic acid is then separated.

Materials for this step:

Oxalic Acid DihydrateOxalic Acid Dihydrate1 as required

Tools needed:

Glass VesselGlass Vessel
Unknown Work-UpUnknown Work-Up
Chemical Splash GogglesChemical Splash Goggles
Nitrile GlovesNitrile Gloves

Materials

5

Tools Required

10

Related Blueprints

These blueprints share knowledge with this one — techniques, materials, or principles that connect them in the learning graph.

CC0 Public Domain

This blueprint is released under CC0. You are free to copy, modify, distribute, and use this work for any purpose, without asking permission.

Support the Maker by purchasing products through their Blueprint where they earn a Maker Commission set by Vendors, or create a new iteration of this Blueprint and include it as a connection in your own Blueprint to share revenue.

Discussion

(0)

Log in to join the discussion

Loading comments...