Triethyl citrate
Triethyl citrate 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.
Triethyl citrate is an ester of citric acid. It is a colorless, odorless liquid used as a food additive, emulsifier and solvent (E number E1505) to stabilize foams, especially as whipping aid for egg white. It is also used in pharmaceutical coatings and plastics.
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| Names | |
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| Preferred IUPAC name
Triethyl 2-hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylate | |
Other names
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| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol)
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| ChEMBL | |
| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.000.974 |
| EC Number |
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| E number | E1505 (additional chemicals) |
PubChem CID
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| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
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| Properties | |
| C12H20O7 | |
| Molar mass | 276.283 g/mol |
| Appearance | Oily liquid |
| Density | 1.137 g/mL at 25 °C |
| Melting point | −55 °C (−67 °F; 218 K) |
| Boiling point | 294 °C (561 °F; 567 K) at 1 atm 235 °C at 150 mmHg |
| 65 g/L | |
| −161.9·10−6 cm3/mol | |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Triethyl citrate is also used as a plasticizer for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and similar plastics.
Triethyl citrate has been used as a pseudo-emulsifier in e-cigarette juices. It functions essentially like lecithin used in food products, but with the possibility of vaporization which lecithin does not have.
