Cetoleth-3 is the INCI name of a surfactant that is commonly used in plant protection products, processing fluids and products for cleaning industrial surfaces. Due to its properties, it is used mainly in formulations aimed at effective removal of impurities and emulsification of liquids, the components of which, due to their chemical nature, are not miscible with each other.
Cetoleth-3 is a non-ionic surfactant. It belongs to the group of ethoxylated fatty alcohols. Cetoleth-3 is the name used in the INCI system. The full chemical name of is alcohols, C16-18 and C18-unsaturated, ethoxylated. The CAS number of the compound is 68920-66-1.
Like the vast majority of surfactants, Cetoleth-3 is a very good emulsifier and dispersant. These properties are determined by its chemical structure, which includes a hydrophilic moiety (with a strong affinity for water) and a hydrophobic moiety (willingly interacting with the oil phase). The molecules of Cetoleth-3, by accumulation the border of two incompatible phases, reduce the surface tension and enable the formation of an emulsion.
The hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) of Cetoleth-3 is 7.0. This parameter determines the degree of polarity of a given surfactant, and also by the value of this parameter, the appropriate emulsifier can be properly selected. Cetoleth-3 with an HBL value of 7.0 has moderate lipophilicity. It creates stable milky dispersions. It is miscible with some base oils, e.g., it is dissolved in mineral base oils and methyl esters of rapeseed oil. Cetoleth-3 is suitable for the formation of water-in-oil emulsions (water particles in such an emulsion are dispersed in oil) and oil-in-water emulsions (oil particles are dispersed in the water phase). The ability to create an emulsion from ingredients of different chemical nature allows this substance to be used in plant protection products and processing fluids.
