3-Chloro-2-hydroxypropanesulfonic acid sodium salt, shortened to CHPSNa, is a white powder supplied at an assay of 95% or higher. The molecule is small and deliberately multifunctional: a three-carbon chain carrying a reactive chlorine atom, a secondary hydroxyl group and a sodium sulfonate group, with a molecular weight of 196.6 and the formula C3H8ClNaO4S. Buyers rarely add it to a finished product for its own sake — they use it to put a sulfonate group onto something else.
Water handling is straightforward. A 10% solution is clear at 20 °C and reads pH 4.0–7.0, mildly acidic to near neutral, so it can be charged into an aqueous reaction without special neutralisation. In surfactant work the appeal is the sulfonate head: unlike a carboxylate it keeps its negative charge in hard water, in brine and at high pH, which is why it appears in the design of a surface active agent where electrolyte tolerance is the requirement rather than a bonus.
Two kinds of buyer account for most of the volume. One is the chemical plant that builds a larger molecule from it — a polymer, a starch derivative, a surfactant. The other is the additive formulator working on advanced surface treatments, who needs a sulfonated intermediate for an industrial metal plating package or a water-based industrial fluid. Both work from the same specification, so assay, solution pH and solution clarity are the values we report per lot.
| Chemical name | 3-Chloro-2-Hydroxypropanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt |
| CAS number | 126-83-0 |
| Molecular formula | C3H8ClNaO4S |
| Molecular weight | 196.6 |
| Appearance | White powder |
| Assay | ≥95.0% |
| pH, 10% aqueous solution | 4.0–7.0 |
| Water solubility (20 °C) | 10% solution forms a clear liquid |
| Standard pack | 25 kg paper drum |
| Storage | Cool, dry place, drum kept closed |
| Shelf life | 2 years |
In polymer work the salt behaves as a functional monomer. Copolymerising it into an acrylic or styrene backbone puts sulfonate groups along the chain, and those groups change what the polymer does at an interface: it wets out pigments more readily, it holds calcium and magnesium ions away from the rest of the formulation, and it keeps removed soil from settling back onto a surface in a detergent system. That is usually the moment a formulator moves from a carboxylate to a sulfonate surface active agent — the charge survives conditions the weaker acid cannot.
Surfactant synthesis uses the same handle from the other direction. Reacting the chlorine with a lipophilic amine or a fatty alcohol ethoxylate builds a molecule with a hydrophobic tail and a sulfonate head, and the hydroxyl in the middle leaves the option of a second hydrophilic link. Modified starch follows a similar route: sulfonation raises the tolerance of the starch derivative to electrolyte and shear, which is what makes it useful as a sizing or coating agent rather than a plain cooked starch.
What to compare between suppliers comes down to a short list — assay, the pH of a 10% solution, solution clarity and the moisture behind the assay figure. Those four decide whether a new lot behaves like the last one in your reactor, and they are the values we report per batch rather than as a typical figure. Our surfactants are formulated to improve wetting, emulsifying and dispersing performance in cleaning and processing operations, so they hold up across a wide range of industrial duties. Tell us the chemistry and conditions of your process and we will help you select the grade that fits it.
Our roots are in plating chemistry, and additive builders are still a large part of the business. Formulators working on industrial metal plating use sulfonated intermediates when a molecule needs a charge that will not switch off: the sulfonate keeps the additive soluble in the bath and anchors it at the interface, whether the rest of the molecule is a carrier, a leveling agent or the dispersing part of a brightener package.
The conditions decide the choice. An acid zinc line runs at low pH and high chloride, an alkaline line at high caustic; in both cases the additive has to stay in solution and adsorb evenly from the low-current edges of a rack part to the high-current faces. A sulfonate group behaves consistently across that range, which is why it appears in so much additive chemistry written for a metal plating process.
Electroless nickel is the other place this chemistry turns up. A working electroless nickel plating solution balances reducer, complexer, stabiliser and pH, and the additive builder's job is to keep all of it in solution while the deposit grows evenly; sulfonated intermediates are part of that toolkit. What we supply is the intermediate, not the finished article — no brightener and no made-up bath comes out of this drum.
Beyond plating, the range covers the rest of the finishing chain: pretreatments, conversion coatings, sealers and the polymer add-ons that sit over a plated layer. A formulator can therefore compare how a sulfonated intermediate behaves against the finished products it goes into.
In waterborne coatings the salt is used as a dispersant building block. A sulfonated polymer made from it adsorbs on pigment and filler surfaces, keeps a high-solids grind fluid, and — because the charge does not collapse in the presence of calcium or zinc ions — holds that dispersion through let-down, where a carboxylate dispersant often loses grip.
Adhesion to metal is the second reason formulators reach for it. Sulfonate groups interact strongly with steel and aluminium surfaces, so they are used in pretreatment and primer formulations, and in an anti-corrosion primer they help the binder stay attached to the substrate when water arrives.
Adhesives and sealants use the same property: electrolyte tolerance in a formulation that has to bond to metal, or that carries a high filler load. Think of it as a raw material for advanced surface treatments rather than a treatment on its own — it is specified alongside the dispersing resins and coupling agents a formulator already runs.
One practical note: the powder is easier to handle as a pre-dissolved 10% solution than as a dry charge into a high-solids grind, particularly where dust control matters on the plant floor.
| Payment | 100% T/T in advance |
| Minimum order quantity | Varies by chemical; confirmed with our sales team per order |
| Lead time | 2 weeks |
| Packing | 10 kg/box; 25 kg or 50 kg/bag; 20 kg / 25 kg / 30 kg / 200 kg drum; 1,000 kg/IBC drum |
| Shipping | Per the terms agreed in the current contract |
| Warranty | Batch warranty period applies |
| Custom requirements | Packing format, quantity and paperwork agreed with your sales contact before the order |
| Bulk and repeat orders | Volumes, scheduling and pricing confirmed with your sales contact |
| Sample | Availability and terms confirmed with your sales contact |
Electroless nickel plating deposits a uniform coating across the whole surface, raising wear resistance and lowering friction in high-performance parts. Because the process runs without electrical current, it covers complex geometries evenly, including recesses and internal areas that are hard to reach by other methods.
As a paint chemicals supplier we cover a broad range of raw materials that support both industrial and decorative coatings, chosen to improve durability and appearance. The same range includes alodine coating solutions for pretreating aluminium ahead of painting.
In automotive manufacturing, metal plating protects and finishes components that face harsh conditions, and electroless nickel plating is often chosen where a uniform coating must resist corrosion and wear, as on engine components. Working with established electroplating equipment suppliers helps vehicle makers hold quality and performance consistent across production runs, which supports customer satisfaction and lowers maintenance costs.
In electronics production, surfactants help keep components clean and functional during manufacturing: they remove impurities and support the even application of coatings such as gold plating on connectors. Electronics manufacturers can review these surfactant options alongside our paint chemicals range to reduce defects and lift line performance.
Our metal plating services are built for durability and precision, so components keep their finish and their function through long service. Established techniques and modern equipment let us deliver a deposit that improves both the look of a part and the way it performs, whether the job calls for gold plating or electro plating. Every order is produced to the agreed industry standards, and we confirm the specification, tolerances and inspection criteria for your parts before production begins, so the result meets your expectations rather than a generic benchmark.
Our aluminum anodizing service is designed to extend the working life and performance of aluminium components. The anodic layer improves corrosion resistance and takes colour well, which is why anodized aluminum suits both industrial parts and decorative finishes that need to keep their appearance. Share the alloy, the colour or finish you have in mind and the conditions the part will face, and our team will advise on the most suitable anodizing treatment for it, combining strength with the look your product needs.
Choosing the right match is where most sourcing decisions stall. As a trading supplier, we keep one point of contact from first enquiry to after-sales: tell us what you are making and the conditions you work under, and we shortlist the closest matches from our supplier network, compare specifications and arrange samples before you commit to a bulk order. If something does not behave as expected, we work with the supplying partner on the cause and a practical fix, and stay with the case until it is settled. Email, WeChat or WhatsApp enquiries get a reply within 24 hours.
Mainly as a building block. The reactive chlorine lets you attach the sulfonate group to an amine, a thiol, an alcohol or a polymer backbone, and what comes out is a molecule with a permanent negative charge and good water solubility. In practice that means surfactants, modified starch, polymer dispersants, drilling-fluid additives and the additive packages used in plating and coating baths. Wherever a formulator needs a sulfonate built into a surface active agent rather than blended in as a separate salt, this is one of the routes.
A raw material. Nothing here is dosed into a bath as it stands — it is reacted or copolymerised first, and the product of that reaction is what goes into the tank. That holds whether the end use is a metal plating process, a waterborne coating or a drilling fluid. If you are buying a ready-to-use brightener or sealer, this is not that product, though we can point you to the finished line in our range instead.
No, and we would not recommend trying. As supplied it is an intermediate: the free chlorine would react with whatever else is in the tank, and the sulfonate would arrive without the molecular structure that makes an additive work. It belongs one step earlier, in the synthesis of the additive. Once that additive exists, the electroless nickel plating solution is built from it in the usual way, with concentration and conditions set by the additive supplier.
It means the lot contains at least 95% of the salt by the assay method, with the balance being moisture and a small amount of inorganic salt. For most reactions that is plenty, because moisture is easy to allow for in the charge calculation. If your process is sensitive to either — strict stoichiometry, or a reaction that will not tolerate salt — ask us to confirm the limits that apply to your lot before you write the specification, rather than finding out on the third delivery.
A 10% solution in water is the standard test concentration: it should be a clear liquid, and at 20 °C that is what the specification describes. Dissolve at ambient temperature with moderate agitation, add powder into water rather than water into powder, and check pH once everything has gone into solution — the 4.0–7.0 range applies to the made-up solution, not to the dry material. If you need a clean feed for a reaction, filter the solution before charging it.
Cool and dry, with the drum kept closed. The powder picks up moisture and will cake if it is left open in a humid store, and the shelf life of two years assumes sealed storage. Rotate stock so the oldest drum goes first, reseal the liner after weighing, and note the lot number against the batch you charged it into. If a drum has been open a long time, check that the solution still comes out clear before you use it.
In almost every finishing line that relies on a sulfonated additive. Zinc nickel plating packages need additives that stay soluble in a strongly alkaline bath, acid zinc needs the same molecule to work at low pH, and industrial cleaners, dispersants and coating additives use sulfonated components for the same reason — the charge does not fade. Automotive fasteners, aerospace parts, connectors and architectural aluminium are the visible end of that chain, but the decision about which intermediate to use is made at the formulator's bench, not on the line.
