Isotrideceth-8, i.e. polyoxyethylene (3EO) isotridecanol belongs to a group of cleaning substances called surfactants. Its mechanism of action that enables the substance to remove dirt and sediments is based on the encapsulation of dirt particles aimed at loosening them from the surface. This reduces the adherence of dirt, making it possible to flush it away. You can find it as an ingredient in some cosmetics, but also as an excipient used in the processing of metals and greases.
Isotrideceth-8 is the INCI name of a chemical compound that is a non-ionic surfactant. It belongs to the group of ethoxylated fatty alcohols and surfactants derived from isotridecyl alcohol, iso-C13. The CAS number commonly used to identify a chemical substance is 69011-36-5 for Isotrideceth-8. The chemical structure may come in different structural variants depending on the origin of the biological material or synthetic path, but the general formula of ethoxylated alcohols is Cx-yAEn, where x-y stands for the range of carbon chain units. The index n stands for the average number of ethylene oxide units joined to the alcohol.
At the temperature of 20oC and under the pressure of 101.3 kPa, Isotrideceth-8 is a clear liquid with a characteristic rancid odour. At 101.3 kPa, the melting and boiling points are -11.6oC and above 280oC respectively. The density of the substance at 20oC is 907 kg/m3, and its vapour pressure is marked at below 5 Pa. The partition coefficient determined at 25oC is approx. 4.9. At 21oC, the water solubility of the substance is assumed at 0.02-0.029 g/l, while its viscosity at 20oC is 38.2 mm2/s. The pH of a 1% aqueous solution oscillates around 5.0-7.0, i.e. from slightly acidic to neutral. The colour does not exceed 50 points on the Hazen scale at 40oC.
Isotrideceth-8 is an easily biodegradable compound. It has a low bioaccumulative potential and a moderate potential for adsorption to soils and sediments. Similarly to most ethoxylated alcohols, Isotrideceth-8 has foaming capacity, tolerance to water hardness or to reducing or oxidising agents in water as well as an excellent capacity to clean artificial fibres. The HLB coefficient, that expresses the hydrophile-lipophile balance, is assumed at 12.8, placing it at the borderline between poor hydrophilic and hydrophilic compounds, which implies its use as O/W emulsifiers and detergents.
The hydrophilic Isotrideceth-8 has a broad range of applications, resulting in the presence of the ingredient in a variety of cleaning products, cosmetics, liquids used in the agriculture and textile, paper and oil industries and in other branches of processing industry. The substance ensures excellent wetting of the surfaces being cleaned, both textiles and hard surfaces, and also ensures the dispersion of dirt particles in water-based cleaning processes. Due to its stability in recipes with either low or high pH, Isotrideceth-8 may be used in slightly alkaline as well as acidic detergents. It proves to be useful during the processing of fibres, as it effectively removes oil-based stains that appear particularly during the pre-treatment of textiles. It is also used as an ingredient that facilitates the bleaching of knitted fabrics and cotton, and its presence in a formulations also helps to spread out dyes. As a good emulsifier for silicone oils, it works as a softening ingredient in fibre processing. Due to its compatibility with derivatives of silicone compounds, it is also used in hair care and styling formulations. Due to its equally valuable emulsifying and wetting properties, Isotrideceth-8 is included in some pesticides. Moreover, the substance is approved as an indirect food additive, so it is used in the emulsion polymerisation process, which produces food-grade packaging and materials.
