Can Sodium Benzoate and Citric Acid form Benzene and under what conditions?

1 Answer
Truong-Son N.
Oct 25, 2017

Yes, but not under ordinary conditions, as it would require decarboxylation of benzoic acid into benzene.

You could force it with extremely high temperatures and placing iron and copper catalysts, but it won't happen significantly in broad daylight.

Benzene could form within soft drinks by reaction of sodium benzoate with ascorbic acid (vitamin C), but sparingly... If you drink roughly #"20 L"# of soda a day, if it contained the usual #~10# #mu"g"# of benzene, you would ingest the equivalent of the benzene you would breathe from city air (that's not a lot...).

So yes, but not to the extent that we should care. See here.

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