C12-15 Pareth-5 is a chemical compound derived from ethoxylated fatty alcohol with C12-C15 carbon content. Its name in the INCI system is C12-15 Pareth-5. Its global CAS number is 68131-39-5. Its use, like that of many other substances structurally derived from the group of ethoxylated fatty alcohols, is based on a very strong surface activity. C12-15 Pareth-5 is a non-ionic surfactant that is perfect for household and institutional cleaning chemistry formulations.
Like many other derivatives of C12-C15 alcohol, under normal conditions, i.e. at room temperature (approx. 20°C) and under atmospheric pressure, C12-15 Pareth-5 is a clear or cloudy liquid with a great tendency to delaminate. This form results, among others, from the relatively high solidification point of approx. 10°C. At a slightly elevated temperature, around 40°C, C12-15 Pareth-5 is already a completely clear liquid with a slightly yellowish colour of max. 50 in the Hazen scale. This appearance of the liquid is maintained up to a little above 60°C. The cloud point typical for non-ionic surfactants containing polyoxyethylene chains, is approx. 65–72°C for C12-15 Pareth-5 in a butyldiglycol/water solution. Under such conditions, the appearance of two separate phases occurs, due to the inverse relation of the solubility of these compounds with increasing temperature. The process is reversible, and the cloudy solution gradually clears after cooling. The value describing emulsifiers, called the hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) for C12-15 Pareth-5 is 10.5. A value above 10 indicates a weak dominance of the hydrophilic moieties in the molecular structure, as well as its tendency to produce oil-in-water emulsions. In addition, HLB of 10.5 also suggests a limited solubility in water. Due to its non-ionic structure, C12-15 Pareth-5 is compatible with non-ionic, anionic and cationic surfactants. Like other ethoxylated fatty alcohol derivatives, C12-15 Pareth-5 has foaming properties, however, these are relatively low compared to the others. It has distinguishably high detergency, emulsifying and dispersing properties. Its detergent power is so high that it requires neither a high concentration of the agent in the formulation nor high temperatures during use. C12-15 Pareth-5 is easy biodegradable in the natural environment, and the substance itself meets the criteria of Regulation (EC) No. 648/2004 on the biological degradation of detergents.
Due to its strong surface active properties, this non-ionic surfactant can successfully be an alternative to the usually stronger anionic surfactants. It results from the fact that the concentration of C12-15 Pareth-5 in cleaning formulations does not need to be high, unlike in the case of anionic agents. Excessively high temperatures are also not necessary, which makes this compound an ideal ingredient in compositions used, e.g., for removal of dirt from cotton fabrics. Due to the emulsifying potential of C12-15 Pareth-5 towards mineral oils, the substance is used not only during preliminary weaving and knitting treatments, but also in formulations for removing stains from machine oils and various degreasing compositions for metal surfaces used in the manufacturing industry, car industry and many others. In addition, C12-15 Pareth-5 as an emulsifier and wetting agent is used in plant protection products, liquid herbicide formulations, including EC, EW and SE.
