| Color | White |
| Formula Weight | 430.6 |
| Chemical Name or Material | Cholic acid sodium salt |
| Molecular Formula | C24H39NaO5 |
| Molecular Weight | 430.6 g/mol |
| Merck Index | 14, 2203 |
| Solubility Information | It is soluble in water. |
| Beilstein | 3582354 |
| Solubility | Soluble in water |
| CAS Number | 206986-87-0 (hydrate form) |
| PubChem CID | 23679061 |
| Beilstein Registry Number | 3582354 |
| Applications | Membrane protein and lipid solubilization in biochemistry research |
Sodium Cholate is the sodium salt of cholic acid, one of the primary bile acids produced in the liver to aid fat digestion and absorption. Structurally, it’s a steroid-based molecule with several hydroxyl groups and a carboxylate that’s been neutralized with sodium, giving it the amphiphilic (part water-loving, part fat-loving) character that makes bile acids and their salts effective natural detergents.
In the lab, sodium cholate’s amphiphilic structure makes it a go-to reagent for gently solubilizing membrane proteins and lipids — extracting them from cell membranes for study without fully unfolding or denaturing them, which is critical for downstream functional and structural work. It’s also used as a cell-culture bioreagent and, in appropriately controlled grades, as a raw material in pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical formulation research.
*No formal GHS pictogram/signal word data was located specifically for this CAS in the sources checked; as a biological bile-acid salt, it generally presents a moderate irritant profile. Confirm against Sarchem’s own SDS before publishing a specific hazard classification.*
