Sodium orotate

Sodium orotate

Names
IUPAC name Sodium 2,4-dihydroxypyrimidine-6-carboxylate
Identifiers
Jmol-3D images	Image
SMILES n1c(O)nc(O)cc1C(=O)O[Na]
Properties
Chemical formula	NaC5H3N2O4
Appearance	white powder
Solubility in water	2.94 g/L at 25 C
Solubility	insoluble in methanol, ethanol
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references

Sodium orotate, NaC5H3N2O4, is the sodium salt of orotic acid, a metabolic intermediate and chelating agent for certain cations. It is of particular interest as a salt of sodium with a very low solubility in water.

Availability and Preparation

While sodium orotate is not generally available itself, other salts of orotic acid are available as nutritional supplements, particularly magnesium orotate. With the exception of the equally insoluble potassium orotate, these salts will react with sodium chloride in water to precipitate sodium orotate.

Handling, storage and disposal

Sodium orotate is generally inert and not expected to pose environmental hazards in reasonable quantities, although the low solubility and high sodium content mean that it should not flow down a drain or be allowed to mix with soil.

References

Gravimetric determination of sodium and potassium with N,N-dialkylethanolammonium orotates

Relevant Sciencemadness threads

Ways to precipitate sodium ions?