Question

What is Dodecyl Alcohol (Lauryl Alcohol/C12 Alcohol/L-23)? What are its main uses?

Answer
2026-06-06 官方文档 十二醇_月桂醇12醇L-23

Dodecyl Alcohol (Lauryl Alcohol/C12 Alcohol/L-23) is a high-purity linear saturated C12 fatty alcohol, serving as an important basic raw material in fine chemicals. It is mainly used to synthesize various surfactants (such as SLS, SLES, AEO series) and is widely applied in the fields of daily chemical cleaning, personal care products, industrial auxiliaries, and organic synthesis.

Detailed Description

Dodecyl Alcohol, commonly known as Lauryl Alcohol, with CAS number 68439-50-9, is a linear saturated fatty alcohol. This product is known for its high purity and appears as a colorless liquid or white waxy solid at room temperature. As a long-chain fatty alcohol, it exhibits typical primary alcohol chemical properties and can smoothly undergo various derivatization reactions such as ethoxylation, sulfation, and esterification, making it an ideal hydrophobic group for constructing efficient surfactant molecules.

This product is manufactured by Haian Guoli Chemical Co., Ltd. and is renowned for its excellent surface activity, high reactivity, and stable quality. Its narrow carbon chain distribution ensures batch consistency and formulation reliability in downstream applications. The product plays a core role in the surfactant industry while directly or indirectly serving multiple industries including personal care, industrial cleaning, textile printing and dyeing, leather processing, lubricants, and plastic additives.

Main Uses

1. Surfactant Synthesis (Core Use): Dodecyl Alcohol is the key raw material for producing anionic surfactants such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (SLES), obtained through sulfonation or sulfation reactions, widely used in shampoos, shower gels, toothpaste, and industrial cleaning agents. Additionally, ethoxylation with ethylene oxide produces fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ethers (AEO series), used in textile, papermaking, and hard surface cleaning fields.

2. Personal Care Products and Cosmetics: Dodecyl Alcohol can be directly used as a co-emulsifier, emollient, and thickener in creams, lotions, shampoos, etc., providing a delicate skin feel and stable structure. It is also a precursor for synthesizing emollient esters (such as dodecyl lactate).

3. Industrial Auxiliary Field: As a basic raw material for smoothing agents, antistatic agents, and softeners in textile auxiliaries; used in the fatliquoring process in leather treatment to impart soft and full texture to leather; also as a key component in lubricant additives and plastic plasticizers.

4. Organic Synthesis Intermediates: Through oxidation, esterification, and other reactions, it can be converted into fragrance compounds such as dodecanal and dodecyl esters, used in daily chemical flavors and food seasoning; also serves as a hydrophobic long-chain alkyl introducing agent in pharmaceutical intermediate synthesis.

Technical Parameters

For specific physicochemical parameters (such as hydroxyl value, melting point, boiling point, density) and technical indicators of this product, please refer to the product Certificate of Analysis (COA) or contact the Guoli Chemical technical support team. There is no detailed technical parameter table in the database.

Application Suggestions

  • Surfactant Synthesis: As the core raw material for ethoxylation or sulfation reactions, it is recommended to precisely control the EO addition number or sulfonation degree according to the target HLB value to obtain the optimal performance of AEO/SLES products.
  • Daily Chemical Formulation: When used as a co-emulsifier and thickener in creams and lotions, it is recommended to compound with main emulsifiers. The dosage depends on the formulation system, and attention should be paid to its distribution balance in water/oil phases.
  • Industrial Cleaning: Can be directly used to construct highly efficient degreasing and decontaminating concentrated liquid cleaning formulations, or as a foam control agent to adjust foam height during washing.
  • Textile and Leather: In softener and fatliquoring agent formulations, it is recommended to use together with other functional auxiliaries for optimal synergistic effects.

Precautions

Safety Warning: This product is classified under GHS as Skin Irritation (Category 2), Serious Eye Irritation (Category 2), and Hazardous to the Aquatic Environment (Acute Category 1/Long-term Category 2). Protective gloves, protective clothing, and eye/face protection must be worn during handling; avoid contact with skin and eyes. Signal word: "Warning".

Environmental Protection: Highly toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects. Do not discharge into natural waters without treatment. Collect spills with inert absorbent materials and dispose of in accordance with regulations at an approved waste treatment facility.

Storage Requirements: Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated warehouse, away from fire sources and strong oxidizers. Keep container tightly closed. Recommended storage temperature below 40°C to prevent deformation caused by melting/solidification. Use anti-static measures and non-sparking tools.