[Products Name]             Sodium polyacrylate

[Molecular Formula]       C₃H₃NaO₂

[CAS No.]                           95077-68-2

[Product Description]
Sodium polyacrylate also named acrylic sodium salt polymer, ASAP, the super-slurper (because of its ability to absorb as much as 200 to 300 times its mass in water) is a polymer widely used in consumer products with a formula of [-CH2-CH(COONa)-] repeating.

Acrylate polymers generally are considered to possess an anionic charge.

While sodium neutralized polyacrylates are the most common form used in industry, there are also other salts available including potassium, lithium and ammonium.

[Application]
·Sequestering agents in detergents. (By binding hard water elements such as calcium and magnesium, the surfactants in detergents work more efficiently.)
·Thickening agents.
·Coatings.
·Fake snow.
·Super absorbent polymers. These cross-linked acrylic polymers are referred to as "Super ·Absorbents" and "Water Crystals", and are used in baby diapers.Copolymer versions are used in agriculture and other specialty absorbent applications.The origins of super absorbent polymer chemistry trace back to the early 1960s when the U.S. Department of Agriculture developed the first super absorbent polymer materials.This chemical is featured in the Maximum Absorbency Garment used by NASA.
·Sold as an additive for bath water which turns the water into "goo". The mixture is then dissolved by the addition of sodium chloride.
·As the active ingredient in personal lubricants.