Identify this mix of chemicals

October 3, 2006 3:49 PM

Attention chemists: I am seeking to identify a product that contains a list of ingredients that strikes me as fairly odd.

Ingredients: Elemental Calcium (calcium carbonate, calcium citrate), Magnesium (magnesium oxide, magnesium citrate), Zinc (zinc citrate), Vitamin D3, Betaine Hydrochloride, Glutamic Acid Hydrochloride, Sugar, Croscarmellose sodium, Gum Arabic, Magnesium stearate, Silicon dioxide, Beta carotene, Stearic acid, Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, Polyethylene glycol, Carnauba wax

The calcium and vitamins make me think it might be a nutritional supplement, but what I read about Stearic acid on Wikipedia suggests that it is unlikely to be included. Any ideas?

posted by sindark to religion & philosophy (15 comments total)

Sorry, I must have clicked the wrong category. This is meant to be in 'Science and Nature.' Could an editor fix it, please?
posted by sindark at 3:52 PM on October 3, 2006

It sounds like a dietary supplement to me. Most likely something for bone health.

Some of the ingredients are there for formulation of the pill. Carnauba wax is commonly used to make coatings for pills, for example. I'd guess stearic acid is an emulsifier or something in this case.
posted by shylock at 4:06 PM on October 3, 2006

I think this is a vitamin supplement, the ingredients seem to be listed in order of proportion in the product, and the stearates and glutamic acid are likely there as stabilisers and dissolving agents. Magnesium stearate is filler in the tablet/pill. The D3 could be there to help the metabolism of Calcium.
posted by snailer at 4:07 PM on October 3, 2006

Looks to me like some sort of sunblock or skin cream. Vitamin d is normally used in skin creams, and magnesium and zinc are good UV blockers.
posted by scodger at 4:08 PM on October 3, 2006

I am all but certain that the Carnauba wax is there to make a pill shiny.
posted by sindark at 4:09 PM on October 3, 2006

Though looking again, there are lots of vitamins in there.
posted by scodger at 4:09 PM on October 3, 2006

An over-the-counter antacid?
posted by infinitewindow at 4:16 PM on October 3, 2006

Uh silicon dioxide is.. sand?

Where did you come across this list of ingredients? I think that only stuff that's meant to be eaten is required by the FDA to have this level of detail on the ingredients, which suggests that this is indeed some kind of dietary supplement. Of course just because it's being sold as such doesn't mean it's going to help anyone's health.
posted by aubilenon at 4:26 PM on October 3, 2006

Stearic acid and magnesium stearate are used as lubricants to get the pills out of the pill press. More info.
posted by smackfu at 4:34 PM on October 3, 2006

Silicon dioxide's a not uncommon food additive. Heck, it's in the chocolate sprinkles that go on my cappuccino. You'll find it in all sorts of places you wouldn't think of it being, at least not if you think of it being sand.
posted by edd at 4:34 PM on October 3, 2006

Based on the gum, wax and stereate ingredients I think "pill" or "tablet" or something and beta carotene is often used as additive in foods to make it yellow/orange. As far as I can tell all other ingredients are white, so the end product is probably yellowish.

Calcium, magnesium, and zinc are likely the most prominent components, so I'd also vote for a food supplement. For example, googling for calcium magnesium zinc supplement gives several "cal/mag/zinc" supplements which say they have vitamin D included.
This is almost it, but not quite, but I'm sure this is the KIND of pill you're looking for.
posted by easternblot at 4:38 PM on October 3, 2006

Sounds like "TWINLAB Calcium Citrate wafers", if you just google the first three ingredients together. Stearic acid is in lots of suppliments; it's in this bottle of vitamin C on my desk.
posted by cobaltnine at 4:46 PM on October 3, 2006

You wouldn't put citrates in an antacid, they are only very mild bases.

It looks like a bone/calcium suppliment. Magnesium and vitamin D are also associated with bone growth.
posted by bonehead at 6:41 PM on October 3, 2006

easternblot, unsurprisingly, has got it. It's a cal/mag/zinc supplement. They've thrown in some B vitamins for the heck of it. The rest are binders, fillers, and coating.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 7:59 PM on October 3, 2006

Thanks a lot for all the information.
posted by sindark at 9:58 PM on October 3, 2006