Edible corn starch (23-10-4) Physical and Chemical Properties
Edible corn starch
Food-grade, carbohydrate-based starch used as a functional excipient for thickening, binding and texturizing in food, pharmaceutical and industrial formulations.
| CAS Number | 23-10-4 |
| Family | Starches (polysaccharides) |
| Typical Form | Powder (food-grade) |
| Common Grades | EP |
Edible corn starch is a botanical polysaccharide mixture primarily composed of glucose-based polymers (amylose and amylopectin) and functions as a high-molecular-weight carbohydrate excipient and food-grade thickening agent. Structurally this class is characterized by repeated α-D-glucopyranosyl units linked predominantly by α-(1→4) glycosidic bonds with α-(1→6) branch points in amylopectin; the polymeric architecture produces a high density of vicinal and primary hydroxyl groups that dominate physical behavior. At the molecular level the provided compositional descriptors reflect a multi-component system with extensive hydrogen-bonding capacity, numerous undefined stereocenters, and substantial topological polar surface area, consistent with carbohydrate-rich mixtures that present as hydrated, hydrogen-bonded networks rather than discrete small molecules.
Chemically, starch-type materials are neutral under ordinary conditions (no formal ionic charge) and exhibit strong hydrophilicity and low intrinsic lipophilicity due to the abundance of hydroxyl groups. Acidic or enzymatic hydrolysis cleaves glycosidic linkages to yield soluble oligosaccharides and glucose; thermal processing induces gelatinization followed by irreversible dextrinization and eventual thermal decomposition at elevated temperatures. Oxidative reagents convert primary alcohol sites to carbonyl and carboxyl functions; reducing conditions or mild alkali may also effect chain scission. Functionally, edible corn starch is widely used in food systems (thickening, gelling, stabilizing), pharmaceutical formulations (binder, disintegrant, matrix former), and various industrial applications (paper, textiles, adhesives) where its rheological and film-forming properties are exploited.
Common commercial grades reported for this substance include: EP.
Overview and Composition
Edible corn starch, as represented here, is a multi-component polysaccharide material with descriptors indicating a two-component covalent unit model and an associated small basic species. The entry-level molecular parameters emphasize high polarity and hydrogen-bonding capacity, consistent with oligo- or polyglucose constituents and minor low‑molecular-weight adducts or processing-related residues.
Key computed identifiers and composition metrics: - Molecular formula: \(C_{12}H_{25}NO_{11}\) - Molecular weight: \(359.33\,\mathrm{g}\,\mathrm{mol}^{-1}\) - Exact mass / Monoisotopic mass: \(359.14276061\) (unitless as reported) - Topological polar surface area (TPSA): \(191\,\text{Å}^2\) - Hydrogen bond donor count: 9 - Hydrogen bond acceptor count: 12 - Rotatable bond count: 4 - Heavy atom count: 24 - Formal charge: 0 - Complexity: 382 - Undefined atom stereocenter count: 10 - Covalently-bonded unit count: 2
Component-level annotations (as provided) indicate the presence of a glycan component and ammonia (component compounds listed as CID 294 and CID 222 in source annotations). Conformer generation for this material is disallowed for three-dimensional modelling because the substance is a mixture or salt and contains many undefined stereocenters; this is congruent with heterogeneous polymeric samples where a single well-defined conformer set cannot be assigned.
Available structural strings (plain text): - SMILES: C(C1C(C(C(C(O1)OC2C(OC(C(C2O)O)O)CO)O)O)O)O.N - InChI: InChI=1S/C12H22O11.H3N/c13-1-3-5(15)6(16)9(19)12(22-3)23-10-4(2-14)21-11(20)8(18)7(10)17;/h3-20H,1-2H2;1H3 - InChIKey: AMHSIAGEEZQKAV-UHFFFAOYSA-N - CAS number: 23-10-4
Qualitative Composition
Edible corn starch is primarily composed of high-mass glucose polymers (amylose: largely linear α-1,4; amylopectin: highly branched α-1,4 with α-1,6 linkages) together with minor non-carbohydrate constituents (residual protein, lipids, minerals) depending on processing and purification. The provided molecular descriptors correspond to a discrete carbohydrate-containing unit plus a basic adduct and should be interpreted as representative computational annotations for a heterogeneous material rather than a single defined small molecule.
The high counts of hydrogen-bond donors (9) and acceptors (12), together with TPSA \(191\,\text{Å}^2\), indicate strong hydration affinity and propensity for extensive intermolecular hydrogen-bond networks in the solid state and in aqueous media. Undefined stereocenters reflect the many chiral centers inherent in glucose units and branching points.
Appearance and Typical Form
No experimentally established value for this property is available in the current data context.
Practically, edible corn starch is encountered as a free-flowing, white to off-white powder or granular material. Particle size, granule morphology and apparent bulk density vary with botanical source and milling/processing conditions; these physical characteristics determine dispersibility, gelatinization behavior and rheology in formulation use.
Chemical Properties
Reactivity and Corrosive Behavior
No experimentally established value for this property is available in the current data context.
Class-level reactivity notes: polysaccharide matrices are chemically stable under neutral, dry conditions but are susceptible to: - Acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds (rate increases with temperature and acid strength). - Enzymatic hydrolysis by amylases and glucosidases producing oligosaccharides and monosaccharides. - Oxidation of primary alcohol sites by strong oxidants producing carbonyl/carboxyl derivatives and potential depolymerization. - Thermal modification: gelatinization (hydrated swelling) at elevated temperatures and subsequent dextrinization/char formation at higher heat.
Starch and starch-containing materials are non-corrosive to metals in the same way as strong acids or bases, but prolonged contact with acidic or alkaline solutions can promote hydrolytic degradation and can be corrosive through pH-mediated effects.
Compatibility and Incompatibilities
No experimentally established value for this property is available in the current data context.
General compatibility guidance: - Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents (risk of oxidative modification and degradation). - Susceptible to acid and base hydrolysis; avoid prolonged contact with strong mineral acids and strong alkali if structural integrity is required. - Insoluble or poorly soluble in most non-polar organic solvents; organic solvents that remove bound water or denature polymer matrices can alter functionality. - Biodegradable and readily utilized by microorganisms; susceptibility to microbial degradation dictates dry, hygienic storage for long-term stability.
Usage and Safety
Industrial and Commercial Use Contexts
No concise application summary is available in the current data context; in practice this substance is selected based on its general properties described above.
Typical industrial and commercial roles for edible corn starch and closely related starch fractions include: - Food industry: thickener, stabilizer, gelling agent, carrier, anti-caking agent, and texturizer. - Pharmaceutical industry: tablet binder, disintegrant, filler, and coating aid; modified starch derivatives are used for controlled-release matrices. - Industrial applications: paper and textile sizing, biodegradable adhesive formulations, film-formers in coatings, and as a rheology modifier in formulations where a saccharide-based polymer is acceptable. Selection for a given application depends on granule size, molecular weight distribution (amylose:amylopectin ratio), purity grade, and any chemical or physical modifications (e.g., pregelatinized, crosslinked, oxidized).
Hazards and Handling Considerations
No experimentally established value for this property is available in the current data context.
Health and handling considerations for starch-class materials: - Low acute systemic toxicity by ingestion at typical use levels; however, inhalation of respirable dust can
