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Cetyl alcohol

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Cetyl alcohol is a widely used ingredient in cosmetics, personal care, and skincare formulations. Depending on its function, it may serve as a moisturizer, preservative, emulsifier, or active ingredient to enhance the overall effectiveness and performance of a product.

Cetyl alcohol (Wikipedia)

Cetyl alcohol /ˈsiːtəl/, also known as hexadecan-1-ol and palmityl alcohol, is a C-16 fatty alcohol with the formula CH3(CH2)15OH. At room temperature, cetyl alcohol takes the form of a waxy white solid or flakes. The name cetyl refers to whale oil (cetacea oil, from Latin: cetus, lit. 'whale', from Ancient Greek: κῆτος, romanized: kētos, lit. 'huge fish') from which it was first isolated.

Cetyl alcohol
Skeletal formula
Skeletal formula
Space-filling model
Space-filling model
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
Hexadecan-1-ol
Other names
Cetanol, Cetyl alcohol, Ethal, Ethol, Hexadecanol, Hexadecyl alcohol, Palmityl alcohol
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.048.301 Edit this at Wikidata
EC Number
  • 253-149-0
KEGG
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C16H34O/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17/h17H,2-16H2,1H3 checkY
    Key: BXWNKGSJHAJOGX-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY
  • InChI=1/C16H34O/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17/h17H,2-16H2,1H3
    Key: BXWNKGSJHAJOGX-UHFFFAOYAS
  • OCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Properties
C16H34O
Molar mass 242.447 g·mol−1
Appearance White crystals or flakes
Odor Very faint, waxy
Density 0.811 g/cm3
Melting point 49.3 °C (120.7 °F; 322.4 K)
Boiling point 344 °C (651 °F; 617 K)
Insoluble
Solubility Very soluble in ether, benzene, and chloroform.
Soluble in acetone.
Slightly soluble in alcohol.
log P 7.25
Acidity (pKa) 16.20
−183.5·10−6 cm3/mol
1.4283 (79 °C)
Viscosity 53 cP (75 °C)
Hazards
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
NFPA 704 four-colored diamondHealth 1: Exposure would cause irritation but only minor residual injury. E.g. turpentineFlammability 1: Must be pre-heated before ignition can occur. Flash point over 93 °C (200 °F). E.g. canola oilInstability 0: Normally stable, even under fire exposure conditions, and is not reactive with water. E.g. liquid nitrogenSpecial hazards (white): no code
1
1
0
Flash point 185 °C (365 °F; 458 K)
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
5000 mg/kg (rat, oral)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
checkY verify (what is checkY☒N ?)
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