Monochloroacetic acid

Monochloroacetic acid was formerly used as a preservative. It is prohibited from use in human food in the United States.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Monochloroacetic acid by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationProhibited21 CFR 189.155retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

What it is made from

Produced industrially by chlorinating acetic acid. It remains an important industrial chemical intermediate outside food use.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
InChIKey
FOCAUTSVDIKZOP-UHFFFAOYSA-N
PubChem
CID 300

Every name it appears under

61 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

CAS registry number

  • 79-11-8

As it appears in regulation

  • Monochloroacetic acid

Other names

  • .alpha.-Chloroacetic acid
  • 2-chloro-acetic acid
  • 2-chloro-ethanoic acid
  • 2-chloroacetic acid
  • 4-02-00-00474 (Beilstein Handbook Reference)
  • Acetic acid, 2-chloro-
  • Acetic acid, chloro-
  • Acetocaustin
  • Acetocaustin (TN)
  • Acide chloracetique
  • Acide chloroacetique
  • Acide monochloracetique
  • Acidomonocloroacetico
  • alpha-chloro-acetic acid
  • alpha-Chloroacetic acid
  • BRN 0605438
  • C2H3ClO2
  • CAS-79-11-8
  • Caswell No. 179B
  • CCRIS 2117
  • CH2ClCOOH
  • Chloracetic acid
  • chloro acetic acid
  • chloro-acetic acid
  • Chloroacetic
  • chloroacetic acid
  • Chloroacetic acid (80% or less)
  • CHLOROACETIC ACID CRYSTALLINE
  • Chloroacetic acid, 99%
  • Chloroacetic acid, >=99%
  • CHLOROACETIC ACID, ACS
  • Chloroacetic acid, ACS grade
  • Chloroacetic acid, ACS reagent, >=99.0%
  • Chloroacetic acid, analytical standard
  • Chloroacetic acid, for synthesis, 99.0%
  • Chloroacetic acid, liquid
  • Chloroacetic acid, molten
  • Chloroacetic acid, puriss., >=99.0% (T)
  • Chloroacetic acid, purum, >=97.0% (T)
  • Chloroacetic acid, solid
  • Chloroacetic acid, solid (dot)
  • CHLOROACETIC-ACID
  • Chloroethanoic acid
  • ClCH2COOH
  • cloroacetic acid
  • EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 279400
  • FOCAUTSVDIKZOP-UHFFFAOYSA-
  • HSDB 939
  • Kyselina chloroctova
  • Monochloorazijnzuur
  • Monochloracetic acid
  • Monochloracetic acidacide monochloracetique
  • Monochloressigsaeure
  • monochloro acetic acid
  • monochloro-acetic acid
  • Monochloroacetic acid
  • Monochloroethanoic acid
  • sJPhLQDIKTp@
  • WLN: QV1G

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/monochloroacetic-acid.json