Sorbic acid

Sorbic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula C6H8O2.

Formula
C6H8O2
Molar mass
112.13 g/mol
Also known as
(2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-dienoic acid, 2E,4E-Hexadienoic acid, Sorbistat, Panosorb, 2-Propenylacrylic acid, Hexadienoic acid

Overview

Sorbic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula C6H8O2.

Identifiers

Formula
C6H8O2
Molar mass
112.13 g/mol
Also known as
(2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-dienoic acid, 2E,4E-Hexadienoic acid, Sorbistat, Panosorb, 2-Propenylacrylic acid, Hexadienoic acid
Chemical identifiers
SMILES
C/C=C/C=C/C(=O)O
InChI
InChI=1S/C6H8O2/c1-2-3-4-5-6(7)8/h2-5H,1H3,(H,7,8)/b3-2+,5-4+
PubChem CID
643460

Properties

Melting Point
134.5 °C
Boiling / decomposition
228 °C with decomposition.
Density
1.204 g/cu cm at 19 °C
Water solubility
In water, 1910 mg/L at 30 °C

References

  1. PubChem Compound Summary: Sorbic acid (CID 643460)National Center for Biotechnology Information · PubChem

    Identity, molecular formula, molecular weight and aliases retrieved via PUG REST on 2026-09-08.

  2. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): Sorbic acid — melting pointHazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)

    Retrieved through PubChem PUG View on 2026-09-08. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/643460#section=Melting-Point. Source value, complete property clause or compact miscibility statement retained; absent pressure, temperature or phase conditions are not inferred. Original reference: O'Neil, M.J. (ed.). The Merck Index - An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals. Cambridge, UK: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2013., p. 1613

  3. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): Sorbic acid — boiling pointHazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)

    Retrieved through PubChem PUG View on 2026-09-08. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/643460#section=Boiling-Point. Source value, complete property clause or compact miscibility statement retained; absent pressure, temperature or phase conditions are not inferred. Original reference: Haynes, W.M. (ed.). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. 95th Edition. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton: FL 2014-2015, p. 3-294

  4. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): Sorbic acid — densityHazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)

    Retrieved through PubChem PUG View on 2026-09-08. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/643460#section=Density. Source value, complete property clause or compact miscibility statement retained; absent pressure, temperature or phase conditions are not inferred. Original reference: Haynes, W.M. (ed.). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. 95th Edition. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton: FL 2014-2015, p. 3-294

  5. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): Sorbic acid — solubilityHazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)

    Retrieved through PubChem PUG View on 2026-09-08. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/643460#section=Solubility. Source value, complete property clause or compact miscibility statement retained; absent pressure, temperature or phase conditions are not inferred. Original reference: Yalkowsky, S.H., He, Yan, Jain, P. Handbook of Aqueous Solubility Data Second Edition. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL 2010, p. 273