Amides as anticaking agents for sodium chloride: is a triple branched variant necessary?

Abstract

Amides are well known for their potential as anticaking agents for sodium chloride. We have investigated what is the ideal structure for an amide based anticaking agent and what features lead to effective anticaking. Through a series of experiments, we have found that a triple-branched structure, with the three branches radiating from the same nitrogen centre, is the only effective compound for preventing caking for sodium chloride. We conclude that this is likely due to bonding between the atoms of the amide functional group and the ions of sodium chloride, with an extra bond from the central nitrogen giving a strong attachment to the surface, thus leading to blocking of growth. We have also outlined a list of four categories, of which a compound must obey all of in order to act as an effective anticaking agent.