01Product

L-Arginine Base USP32

At a glance

L-Arginine Base from Zhicheng Bio — supply summary

Zhicheng Bio supplies bulk L-Arginine Base (USP32), CAS 74-79-3, shipping from Shanghai, China. This grade is produced to order. Every shipment carries a batch Certificate of Analysis; specification sheet and MSDS are supplied on request. Zhicheng Bio publishes no list price — quotes are issued per quantity and Incoterm by email to zhicheng1@zhicheng-bio.cn.

Supplier: Zhicheng Bio, Shanghai, China
CAS number: 74-79-3
Molecular formula: C6H14N4O2
Grade / specification: USP32
Availability: Made to order
Documents: Batch CoA with every shipment; spec sheet and MSDS on request
Packing: 25 kg cartons or bags, adjustable
PubChem CID: 6322
How to get a price: Email RFQ to zhicheng1@zhicheng-bio.cn — no list price is published

Amino Acids In stock

L-Arginine Base

USP32

CAS 74-79-3 · C6H14N4O2

Bulk L-Arginine Base for B2B manufacturing — supplied against your target specification, with documentation your QA can review before anything ships. Pricing below is indicative; send an RFQ for a firm quote, MOQ and lead time.

$3.25 – $3.64 /kg by order volume · indicative, ex-Shanghai

Indicative range — larger volumes price toward the low end. Ingredient markets move weekly; your firm price is confirmed by quotation, typically within one business day.

Category: Amino Acids

Availability: In stock

Packing: 25 kg bags, cartons or drums (standard)

Key supply points

Supplied against your target specification — USP / FCC / JP monograph where applicable
Recent batch COA provided with the quotation, before you commit
Consolidates with other SKUs into one shipment out of Shanghai
Third-party lab verification available pre-shipment on request

Documentation with every batch

COA per batchSpec SheetMSDS / SDSExport docs

Third-party lab verification can be arranged pre-shipment on request. Certificates of origin, non-GMO or allergen statements per destination-market requirements.

Request COA & Quote Use the RFQ form

Shipping & Lead Time

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Documentation-first

COA per batch, Spec Sheet and MSDS — reviewed by your QA before anything ships.

Ready-stock depth

Multi-tonne inventory on core SKUs, plus 28 actives held in our US warehouse in Los Angeles for domestic delivery.

Certified supply chain

Sourced from audited, certified manufacturers — ISO, HACCP, Halal & Kosher available.

Flexible export

25 kg bags, cartons or drums; FOB / CIF / DDP by lane, sea or air consolidation.

02Identity & properties

Identity & properties

Compound identifiers and physical properties for this material. The binding version is always the Specification Sheet and batch COA issued with your quotation.

CAS No.	74-79-3
Molecular Formula	C6H14N4O2
Molecular Weight	174.20
EINECS	200-811-1
Synonyms	L-Arginine, L-Arg, (2S)-2-amino-5-(diaminomethylideneamino)pentanoic acid, Arginine base, free-base arginine
Appearance	White crystals or crystalline powder, odourless
Solubility	Water 182 g/L at 25 °C; slightly soluble in ethanol; insoluble in diethyl ether. The saturated aqueous solution contains about 15% w/w at 21 °C.
Pharmacopoeial reference	FCC · JP (as L-Arginine Hydrochloride)

03Specifications

Specifications

Typical parameters below — the binding version is the Specification Sheet and batch COA we send with your quotation.

Parameter	Specification	Test method
Assay (as-is / dried basis)	—	Titration or HPLC per the applicable monograph
Appearance	—	Visual
Identification	—	IR / specific optical rotation per monograph
Specific optical rotation	—	Polarimetry
Loss on drying	—	Gravimetric
Residue on ignition / sulphated ash	—	Gravimetric
Chloride	—	Per monograph
Sulphate	—	Per monograph
Iron	—	Per monograph
Other amino acids / related substances	—	TLC or HPLC per monograph
Heavy metals (Pb / As / Cd / Hg)	—	ICP-MS or per monograph
Microbiology (TAMC / TYMC / E. coli / Salmonella)	—	USP <61>/<62> or equivalent

A dash means we have no fixed limit to publish for that parameter: it is reported on the batch COA and the limit is agreed with your QA. We would rather leave it blank than invent a number. Full physical, chemical, heavy-metal and microbiological parameters are listed in the Specification Sheet — sent with every quotation.

04Formulation & handling notes

Formulation & handling notes

The practical points our technical team raises with buyers of this material — the things that decide whether a batch behaves in your process.

Arginine base is strongly alkaline in solution — the Merck Index describes the aqueous solution as 'strongly alkaline' and gives pK3 = 13.2 for the guanidino group (pK1 2.18, pK2 9.09). In a beverage or an effervescent stick pack it will move system pH upward on its own; this is the practical reason formulators reach for arginine HCl instead when they need a near-neutral solution.

The base absorbs carbon dioxide from air. The Merck Index record notes that aqueous solutions absorb CO2 from the air, which slowly forms carbonate and drifts solution pH and titratable assay. Keep drums sealed and avoid holding open solutions.

Aqueous solubility is high — 182 g/L at 25 °C — but the saturated solution is only about 15% w/w at 21 °C, so a 1500 mg/serving RTD is easy while a high-load concentrate is not.

It decomposes rather than melting cleanly (browns around 230 °C, decomposes at 244 °C), so it is unsuitable for hot-melt or high-temperature extrusion steps.

'Base' versus 'HCl' is a potency question, not a quality question: the base is 100% arginine while the monohydrochloride is 82.7% arginine by stoichiometry (174.20/210.66). A formula switching between them must be re-balanced or the label arginine figure will be wrong.

05Applications

Applications

B2B manufacturing use only — no finished-product or health claims.

Pre-workout and pump/vasodilator powder blends

Sports-nutrition capsules and tablets

Amino acid blends and free-form EAA products

Nutritional and clinical nutrition formulations

Cosmetic formulations where a basic amino acid is used as a pH adjuster

Buffer and cell-culture media preparation

06Regulatory status by market

Regulatory status by market

Status of the raw material, stated as conservatively as our sources allow. This is supply-chain information, not regulatory advice — confirm the position for your finished product and destination market with your own regulatory counsel.

Market	Status	Basis
United States	Listed by name in FDA's food-additive regulation for amino acids as 'L-Arginine'. That regulation permits use as a nutrient 'to significantly improve the biological quality of the total protein' of a food, subject to a cap of 6.6 percent by weight of the total protein of the finished food, and to the labelling requirements in paragraph (e). It is not a general-purpose clearance for any food use, and it is not the authority under which dietary supplements are marketed — those sit under DSHEA and 21 CFR part 111.	21 CFR 172.320(a), (b), (c)(4), (e)
European Union	Amino acids are not covered by the harmonised positive lists of Directive 2002/46/EC (Annexes I and II of that Directive cover vitamins and minerals only). Amino acid ingredients are therefore governed by general EU food law plus national rules, with mutual recognition under Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 764/2008 in practice.	Directive 2002/46/EC (food supplements); national member-state rules
Japan	An Official Monograph titled 'L-Arginine Hydrochloride' is listed in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia, Eighteenth Edition. Monograph existence only — no limits transcribed.	JP XVIII, Official Monographs
China	Status as a nutrient fortification substance / food additive under Chinese national standards to be confirmed.	GB 14880-2012 (nutrient fortification substances), GB 2760 (food additives), and NHC new-food-ingredient announcements

07Selected research

Selected research

Peer-reviewed literature on this compound, with linked identifiers so you can read the primary source rather than take our word for it.

These references are listed for scientific context only. They describe published research on the compound; they are not claims about this raw material and not claims about any finished product. Zhicheng Bio makes no medical, health or performance claims.

In a crossover study in ten healthy volunteers, the absolute bioavailability of a single 10 g oral dose of L-arginine was reported to be approximately 20%, with a peak plasma concentration of 50.0 ± 13.4 µg/mL one hour after dosing. Tangphao O, Grossmann M, Chalon S, Hoffman BB, Blaschke TF. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 1999;47(3):261-266. PMID 10215749 DOI 10.1046/j.1365-2125.1999.00883.x Source
A randomised placebo-controlled study in seventeen healthy men reported no significant change in plasma nitrite plus nitrate after a single 6 g oral dose of L-arginine hydrochloride over 120 minutes. Alvares TS, Conte-Junior CA, Silva JT, Paschoalin VM. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2012;9(1):54. PMID 22691607 DOI 10.1186/1743-7075-9-54 Source
A review of nitric-oxide precursor ingredients used in strength-performance supplements described the NOS-dependent and nitrate-nitrite-NO pathways and positioned L-citrulline as an effective precursor of L-arginine. Gonzalez AM, Townsend JR, Pinzone AG, Hoffman JR. Nutrients. 2023;15(3):660. PMID 36771366 DOI 10.3390/nu15030660 Source

08Packing, storage & lead time

Packing, storage & lead time

Standard packing	25 kg bags, cartons or drums
Private packing	Custom packing & labeling available for regular customers
Storage	Cool, dry place, sealed in original packaging
Lead time	In stock
Shipping	Sea or air consolidation out of Shanghai · FOB / CIF / DDP by lane

09Procurement FAQ

Procurement FAQ

01The listing says USP32 — is that still a current specification?

USP 32 is a superseded edition of the United States Pharmacopeia. In practice 'USP32' on an Asian amino-acid offer sheet means the material is made to the arginine monograph as it stood in that edition. If your QA needs compliance with the current USP-NF, say so in the RFQ and we will get the manufacturer to confirm against the edition you name, in writing, before shipment.

02Should I buy the base or the hydrochloride?

Take the base when you want maximum arginine per kilogram and the alkalinity is acceptable — capsules, tablets, dry blends. Take the hydrochloride when you need a solution near neutral pH or a less hygroscopic feel in a flavoured powder. The base is 100% arginine; the HCl salt is 82.7% arginine by molecular weight, so the two are not drop-in substitutes on a label.

03Will arginine base raise the pH of my drink?

Yes. Its aqueous solution is strongly alkaline (the guanidino group has a pK around 13). Expect to re-titrate an acidic beverage after adding it, and expect the free base to pick up CO2 from air if solutions are held open.

04How is it packed and how should we store it?

Standard 25 kg bags, cartons or drums out of Shanghai. Because the free base takes up CO2 from the air, keep drums closed and decant under low humidity; do not leave part-used containers open on the line overnight.

05What is the MOQ for L-Arginine Base?

MOQ is quote-based and flexible. Tell us your target quantity in the RFQ — for core in-stock SKUs we can usually accommodate both trial orders and multi-tonne volumes.

06Can I get a sample of L-Arginine Base before ordering?

Yes — samples are available on request for evaluation and lab verification. Mention it in your RFQ and we will confirm the arrangement.

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