Sodium myreth sulfate

Sodium myreth sulfate
Other names PEG-(1-4) myristyl ether sulfate, sodium salt; POE(2) myristyl ether sulfate; sodium diethylene glycol myristyl ether sulfate; sodium myristyl ether sulfate
Identifiers
Abbreviations	SMES
CAS number	025446-80-4
Properties
Molecular formula	CH3(CH2)12CH2(OCH2CH2)nOSO3Na
Y myreth sulfate (verify) (what is: Y/N?) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Sodium myreth sulfate is a mixture of organic compounds with both detergent and surfactant properties. It is found in many personal care products such as soaps, shampoos, and toothpaste. It is an inexpensive and effective foaming agent. Typical of many detergents, sodium myreth sulfate consists of several closely related compounds. Sometimes the number of ethylene glycol ether units (n) is specified in the name as myreth-n sulfate, for example myreth-2 sulfate.

Production

Sodium myreth sulfate is very similar to sodium laureth sulfate; the only difference is two more carbons in the fatty alcohol portion of the hydrophobic tail. It is manufactured by ethoxylation (hence the "eth" in "myreth") of myristyl alcohol. Subsequently, the terminal OH group is converted to the sulfate by treatment with chlorosulfuric acid.^[1]

Safety

Like other ethoxylates, sodium myreth sulfate may become contaminated with 1,4-dioxane during production,^[2] which is considered to be a Group 2B suspect carcinogen by the IARC.

See also

• Ammonium lauryl sulfate

References

1. ^ Eduard Smulders, Wolfgang von Rybinski, Eric Sung, Wilfried Rähse, Josef Steber, Frederike Wiebel, Anette Nordskog “Laundry Detergents” in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2007, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. doi:10.1002/14356007.a08_315.pub2.
2. ^ Your baby’s shampoo may be toxic. The Canary Report.

External links

• Household product database at NIH web site.