Laureth-4 Phosphate

C12-14 alcohol phosphorus ester, ethoxylated, 4TE

Laureth-4 Phosphate is a surfactant that is mostly used in metal working, the textile industry and preparations for cleaning hard surfaces. It features very good emulsifying and lubricating properties and very good anti-wear properties and thus is readily chosen by formulators in industrial branches.

General characteristics and properties of Laureth-4 Phosphate

Laureth-4 Phosphate is an anionic surfactant that belongs to the group of chemical compounds called phosphoric esters. The compound is an ethoxylated derivative of lauryl alcohol. The INCI name is Laureth-4 Phosphate. The chemical names of this substance are also used such as C12-C14 alcohol phosphoric ester or ethoxylated 4TE. The CAS number for Laureth-4 Phosphate is 68511-37-5.

The physical and chemical properties of Laureth-4 Phosphate:

• a viscous liquid at the temperature of 20 to 25ᵒC,
• water dispersible,
• soluble e.g. in paraffin, naphthenic and rape-seed oils and in methanol, acetone and benzene,
• its colour according to the Gardner scale is maximum 2 (over the temperature range of 20 to 25ᵒC),
• acid number: 90.0 – 110.0 mg KOH/g (to the first inflection point),
• acid number: 150.0 – 180.0 mg KOH/g (to the second inflection point),
• resistant to the alkaline environment.

Effects and application of PEG-4 Phosphate

The most important property of this anionic surfactant is its emulsifying capacity. It also shows lubricating properties in metalworking fluids. The chemical constitution of a molecule of Laureth-4 Phosphate makes it relatively well soluble in paraffin, naphthenic and rape-seed oils. This determines its use in semi-synthetic high-oil liquids. It is also used as an additive for oils. Laureth-4 Phosphate is a good corrosion inhibitor. As an inhibitor, it greatly reduces the rate of corrosion on a specific material. It has a protective effect, forming a thin layer on the surface of the material, the layer providing an effective protection against degradation. Moreover, Laureth-4 Phosphate features wetting (facilitating the contact of the liquid with the surface), antistatic, softening and detergency properties (it may be used as an ingredient of cleaning and laundry washing liquids). The compound is also used in the cosmetic industry. The emulsifying properties of Laureth-4 Phosphate are used for generating O/W (oil-in-water) emulsions. The surfactant facilitates the dispergation of oil phase particles in a dispersion medium, i.e. water in this case. Oil-in-water emulsions are often used in the production of cosmetics. As an emulsifier, it is also used to emulsify water in painter’s naphtha and chlorinated hydrocarbons. In pigments, Laureth-4 Phosphate acts as a dispersing agent.

Products containing Laureth-4 Phosphate

Laureth-4 Phosphate is an ingredient of the following products:

• washing and cleaning agents,
• laundry agents,
• preparations used in metalworking,
• dispersing agents in pigments,
• emulsifying agents in oil-in-water emulsions (the cosmetic industry),
• softening preparations,
• antistatic preparations.