Magnesium acetate tetrahydrate

Magnesium acetate tetrahydrate (CAS 16674-78-5) is a magnesium salt of acetic acid supplied in its stable, water-bearing crystalline form. It functions as a buffering agent, humectant, and process catalyst across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food, and personal care manufacturing. In biotechnology and molecular biology, it is used in enzyme reaction buffers and nucleic acid precipitation protocols where precise magnesium ion concentration is critical. Pharmaceutical formulators incorporate it as a pH-buffering excipient in parenteral and topical preparations.

These preparations often require controlled ionic strength for stability. In personal care, it supports moisture retention in skin-conditioning formulations and helps stabilize product pH across a range of cosmetic systems. Food-grade material is used as a magnesium source and acidity regulator in functional food and dietary supplement manufacturing. This versatile compound is available as a white crystalline powder or granule depending on the specific industrial need.

Standard supply grades include technical, food-grade, and pharmaceutical-grade material. The latter conforms to USP or BP specifications to ensure the highest levels of purity and safety for sensitive applications. Packaging ranges from laboratory quantities to bulk industrial supply, depending on the application grade. This ensures that manufacturers can source the exact volume required for their specific production scale and quality requirements.