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METHYLHYDROXYETHYL CELLULOSE
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose, also known as Methylcellulose and colloquium, is an organic compound methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose uses in various cosmetic and medical applications, the primary one being as a thickening agent.
In decorative applications, Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose's found most often as a component of toothpaste and cough syrups.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is tasteless and odorless, and in medicine, it is ingested by patients to relieve constipation, diarrhea, and hemorrhoids.
CAS: 9032-42-2
European Community (EC) Number: 618-528-0
IUPAC Name: ethane-1,2-diol;2-(hydroxymethyl)-6-[4,5,6-trihydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-3-yl]oxyoxane-3,4,5-triol;2,3,4-trimethoxy-6-(methoxymethyl)-5-[3,4,5-trimethoxy-6-(methoxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxyoxane
Molecular Formula: C34H66O24
Molecular Weight: 858.9 g/mol
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is a synthetic substance that is used as a thickening and emulsifying agent in many products, including foods, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose has been shown to inhibit the activity of certain enzymes, such as amylase, lipase, and protease.
In addition to these properties, Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is also known for its high degree of thermal stability and light resistance.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose can be used in a wide range of applications due to its versatility and low cost.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is also named as Methyl Hydroxyethyl Cellulose (MHEC).
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is a white, grayish-white, or yellowish-white granules.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is a non-ionic cellulose ether derived from the addition of ethylene oxide to methylcellulose.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is produced from a natural renewable polymer such as wood pulp or cotton.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose can be used as a highly efficient water retention agent, adhesives and film-forming agent, stabilizer, etc.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is widely used in different industrial applications such as oil drilling, construction, and building, paint and coating, pharmaceutical, etc.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose, also known as Methylcellulose and colloquium, is an organic compound methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose uses in various cosmetic and medical applications, the primary one being as a thickening agent.
In decorative applications, it's found most often as a component of toothpaste and cough syrups.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is tasteless and odorless, and in medicine, it is ingested by patients to relieve constipation, diarrhea, and hemorrhoids.
Here are top uses methylhydroxyethyl cellulose:
1. Thickening agent
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose uses to thickener in cosmetic products such as shampoos and conditioners because it can form a film on hair strands.
This film makes hair appear smooth and shiny.
In addition, Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose coats the hair strands to protect them from water damage.
Because it is water-soluble, methylhydroxyethyl cellulose does not cause build-up on hair strands after repeated use of the product containing it.
2. Medicine
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose has been used in manufacturing pharmaceutical products for decades.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose works as an excipient (a sense included with an active drug that binds together all ingredients).
Furthermore, Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose can be used to coat pills and help slow down their release into the body.
3. Binding agent
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is an excellent binding agent or adhesive because it forms a gel when mixed with water.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is often used in the manufacture of pills and capsules because it binds together different pill components to create uniform tablets that are easy to swallow.
4. Paper Production
Due to the low toxicity of the compound and its ability to improve the properties of paper while decreasing production costs, Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose has gained wide acceptance in the paper manufacturing industry.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose can be used as a dry strength agent in paper production to increase tensile strength without increasing gram mage;
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose can also be used as a pigment binder in paper coatings and water retention agents in paper due to its good properties as a dispersing agent.
5. Dispersing Agent.
When mixed with other chemicals, Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose works as a dispersing agent because it absorbs water to form a gel while keeping the ingredients in suspension.
This makes it useful in various applications, including household products like laundry detergent, foods like whipped cream, cosmetics like toothpaste, and pharmaceuticals like cough syrups or eye drops.
6. Soil Stabilizers.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is used as a soil stabilizer to increase the yield of crops on marginal land and in areas where irrigation is not practical.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose can be mixed with water and applied to soil to improve moisture retention during dry periods or when rainfall is sparse.
When incorporated into fertilizer formulas, Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose allows nutrients to remain available to plants over more extended periods than untreated fertilizers.
7. Moisturizer and surfactant
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is also used as a moisturizer and surfactant in cosmetics, baby lotions, shampoos, and bath oils.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is a surfactant as a wetting agent that lowers the surface tension of liquids and allows them to spread over a surface.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose can be used as an emulsifier that keeps water-based and oil-based ingredients mixed in cosmetics.
8. Herbicide
Some farmers use Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose as an herbicide.
When mixed with water and sprinkled on certain plants, it can help prevent growth or kill the plant entirely.
The gel-like substance helps the herbicide stay in place without being washed away by water or carried away by the wind.
9. Concrete Mixes
Concrete mixes using Methylcellulose are commonly used for their smoothness and strength.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is used to coat the interior surface of concrete pipes, giving them a uniform thickness that reduces wear over time.
This method also produces lines resistant to cracking when exposed to water, heat, or other harsh conditions.
10 Food Production
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is commonly used as an ingredient in the production of commercially-made ice cream due to its ability to stabilize the product.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose serves as an alternative to gelatin and vegetable gum such as guar gum and locust bean gum.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is also added to baked goods, salad dressings, and salad gums.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose helps prevent sugar crystallization and increases the shelf life of food products by controlling moisture content.
11. Cement
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose helps increase the efficiency of cement by prolonging water retention and hydration reactions.
This helps reduce the amount of glue required during construction projects, ultimately lowering costs.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose can also be added to concrete mixes to improve their structural properties, such as flexural strength, compressive strength, and tensile strength.
12. Oil drilling
Methylhydroxyethyl Celluloseis also used in oil drilling operations to thicken liquids used in the exploration process.
This helps ensure that the fluid can be pumped through pipes without dripping or spilling, making them less effective at their intended function.
13. Cosmetics
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is found in many cosmetic products, including hair sprays, shampoos, conditioners, toothpaste, and soaps.
Like other uses for methylhydroxyethyl cellulose, it's used to increase the viscosity of these products and make them easier to apply.
14. Paints and coatings
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose, also known as MHEC and Methylcellulose, is a thickening agent used in paints and coatings.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose can help prevent paint from sagging and dripping when it dries.
The combination can also help provide the color with extra adhesion, making it helpful in constructing buildings.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is commonly used as a thickening agent in decorative paints.
Decorative paints are not as strong as structural paints, so they need thickening agents to help them adhere to walls and other surfaces without breaking apart or peeling away.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose provides water resistance to decorative paints, making it more difficult for walls to become damaged by exposure to water.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose also helps make paint that has been applied easier to clean.
Wrapping Up
The most significant Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose uses include its use in the production of adhesives, cosmetics, paper and textiles, pharmaceuticals, paint, and a host of other industrial applications.
Cement plaster:
Improves homogeneity, make the mortar more easily coated, and improve the anti-sagging ability.
Enhances liquidity and pumpability, thus improving working efficiency.
High water retention, prolong the working time of mortar, improve work efficiency, and facilitate the formation of high mechanical strength during solidification period.
Controls the infiltration of air, thus eliminating the microcracks of the coating and forming the ideal smooth surface.
Gypsum plaster:
Improves homogeneity, make the mortar more easily coated, and improve the anti-sagging ability to enhance the mobility and pumpability.
Thus, the work efficiency is improved.
High water retention, longer working time of mortar, and high mechanical strength during solidification.
A high quality surface coating is formed by controlling the consistency of the mortar.
Masonry mortar:
Strengthens the adhesion of the surface of the masonry, and enhance the water retention, so as to improve the strength of mortar.
Improves the lubrication and plasticity so as to improve the construction performance, and use the mortar made of “guaranteed” cellulose ether to make it easier to apply and save time, and improve the cost-effectiveness.
The model with special high water retention can be used for high absorbent bricks.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is used to fill the material:
Excellent water retention, can prolong cooling time and improve working efficiency.
High lubricity, makes use easier, smooth.
Improves the anti-contractility and crack resistance and improve the surface quality.
Provides smooth and uniform texture, and make the joint surface more cohesive.
Tile adhesive:
Makes the dry mixing ingredients easy to mix, and will not produce a mass, thus saving working time.
As the application is faster and more effective, Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose can improve the construction and reduce the cost.
Improve the efficiency of tiling by lengthening the cooling time.
Provides excellent adhesion effect.
Special development model with high anti-skid resistance can be provided.
Self-leveling the ground material:
Provides viscosity, which can be used as an anti – precipitation agent.
Enhances the liquidity and pumpability, thus improving the efficiency of the flooring.
Controls water retention, thus greatly reducing cracking and shrinkage.
Water based paint and paint remover:
The shelf life is extended by preventing solid precipitation.
Excellent compatibility with other components and high biostability.
Dissolves fast and without mass, which helps to simplify the mixing process.
The cold water disperses the model product, can make the mix more quick and convenient, and does not produce the mass.
Generates favorable flow characteristics, including low spatter and good leveling, to ensure fine surface finish and prevent the flow of paint.
Enhances the viscosity of the water-based paint remover and organic solvent, so that the paint remover will not flow out of the surface of the workpiece.
Extruded concrete plank:
Enhances the processing performance of extruded products, with high bonding strength and lubrication.
Improves the adhesiveness of wet strength and sheet extrusion.
Characteristics of HEMC
HEMC has various features.
They include:
1. Appearance
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose can be either white, pale yellow or yellowish-white, or grayish-white.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is also odorless.
2. Solubility
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is soluble in water (cold or hot water).
Although Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is insoluble in the most organic solvent but soluble in a binary organic solvent and organic solvent water system.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose's highest concentration depends on the viscosity and its solubility varies with viscosity.
The lower the viscosity, the greater the solubility and vice versa.
3. PH stability
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is stable within the range of 3.0 – 11.0 and its viscosity is hardly affected but a PH value out of this range will decrease its viscosity.
4. Metabolism
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is an inert substance and its odorless.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is widely used in food and medicine applications due to its inability to undergo metabolism.
5. Surface Activity
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose can be used as a dispersant, protective agent, and emulsifier due to its surface-active function in an aqueous solution.
6. Mildew Resistance
In the long term storage, Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is a good mildew resistance due to its good viscosity stability.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose's mildew resistance capacity is higher than the hydroxyethyl cellulose.
7. Water Retention
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose serves as an effective water retention agent due to its high viscosity in aqueous solution.
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose's water retention capacity is greater than the methylcellulose.
8. Ash Content
Hot water washing is used in the preparation process of Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose, thereby making the ash content very low.
9. Thermal Gel
When the Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose solution is being heated to a certain temperature, it becomes less transparent with the formation of precipitate and gel but if cooled, it goes back to its original state of solution.
Common Uses of HEMC
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose can be used as:
- Adhesive
- Protective colloid
- Thickening agent
- Film-forming agent
- Emulsifier
- Lubricant
- Suspending agent
Industrial Applications of Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose
Methylhydroxyethyl Cellulose is widely used in different industries, which are:
· Polymerization
· Ceramic
· Cosmetics
· Construction
· Food and Beverages
· Pharmaceuticals
· Paint and Coatings
· Ink and Oil Drilling
SYNONYMS:
hydroxyethyl methylcellulose
hymetellose
methyl hydroxyethyl cellulose
methylhydroxyethylcellulose
methyl 2-hydroxyethyl cellulose
9032-42-2
CID 133126848
FT-0612598
