MOA-3 (also known as AEO-3, Peregal O-3, Emulsifier O-3, Fatty Alcohol Ether-3), CAS number 68439-50-9, chemical name C12-14 fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene (3) ether, is a low-degree polymerization nonionic surfactant. This product is manufactured by Haian Guoli Chemical Co., Ltd., with high active ingredient content, high purity, and stable performance. Its molecular structure combines a fatty alcohol hydrophobic chain with three ethylene oxide (EO) hydrophilic units, giving the product unique amphiphilic properties, especially suitable for preparing water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions.
The outstanding advantage of MOA-3 lies in its excellent chemical stability——resistance to acids, alkalis, and hard water. It maintains stable functional performance in complex formulation systems and is not easily affected by water quality conditions and pH changes. At the same time, the product has excellent wetting and dispersing abilities, quickly reducing surface tension, promoting the spreading of liquids on solid surfaces and the uniform dispersion of solid particles in liquid media. The product features high-purity active matter, ensuring high efficiency, low dosage, and good economy.
In terms of safety, MOA-3 is classified as GHS07, with the signal word "Warning." Main hazards include skin irritation (H315), serious eye irritation (H319), and harmful to aquatic life with long-lasting effects (H412). When handling, chemical safety goggles and chemical-resistant gloves should be worn, and good ventilation should be ensured. The product should be stored in a cool, dry, and ventilated environment at 5°C to 35°C, away from fire and heat sources. The shelf life of unopened products is one year from the date of manufacture.
The application fields of MOA-3 (AEO-3) are very extensive. The following are its seven core uses:
1. Key Raw Material for AES Synthesis: This is the most important and largest-volume use of MOA-3. AEO-3 is sulfonated and neutralized to produce sodium alcohol ether sulfate (AES), which is one of the most mainstream primary surfactants in personal care products such as shampoos, body washes, and hand soaps, offering excellent foaming, mildness, and compatibility.
2. Personal Care Product Formulation Intermediate: It can be used directly or after modification in daily chemical formulations such as shampoos, body washes, and facial cleansers, providing mild cleansing, foaming, and conditioning functions to meet consumer demands for gentle care experiences.
3. Industrial and Household Liquid Detergents: As a nonionic surfactant component, it enhances the penetration, emulsification, and detergency of laundry liquids, dishwashing detergents, and hard surface cleaners, especially performing well under low-temperature washing conditions.
4. Textile Printing and Dyeing Auxiliaries: Used in textile processing as scouring agents, penetrants, and leveling agents. It helps remove natural impurities such as wax and pectin from cotton fibers (scouring process), promotes uniform dye uptake and prevents uneven dyeing (leveling function), and can also be used as a softener for synthetic fibers and a fabric finishing agent.
5. Leather Processing Degreasing Agent: In the degreasing process before leather tanning, it efficiently removes natural fats from raw hides, improving subsequent tanning and dyeing quality, making leather softer and more uniform.
6. Metal Cleaning and Metalworking Fluids: Used as an emulsifier and wetting agent in metal parts cleaners and cutting fluids, effectively removing oil stains from metal surfaces while providing lubrication and short-term rust prevention.
7. Emulsifier for Emulsion Polymerization: In emulsion polymerization systems of monomers such as acrylates and styrene, it stabilizes monomer droplets and controls latex particle size, ensuring smooth polymerization and obtaining polymer emulsions with uniform particle size distribution.
The following are basic technical parameter information for MOA-3 (AEO-3):
| Parameter Item | Parameter Value |
|---|---|
| Product Name | MOA-3 (AEO-3) |
| Chemical Name | C12-14 Fatty Alcohol Polyoxyethylene (3) Ether |
| CAS Number | 68439-50-9 |
| Product Category | Nonionic Surfactant |
| Appearance | Colorless to Slightly Yellowish Transparent Liquid |
| EO Degree of Polymerization | 3 |
| Ionic Type | Nonionic |
| Chemical Stability | Resistant to Acids, Alkalis, and Hard Water |
| HLB Value | Not available (Low EO number, strong lipophilicity, suitable for W/O emulsification) |
| Hydroxyl Value | Not available |
| Cloud Point | Not available (Low EO polymerization degree products have low cloud point or are insoluble in water) |
In practical use, because MOA-3 has an EO degree of polymerization of only 3, it is strongly lipophilic and relatively weakly hydrophilic, most suitable for water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion systems, such as oily formulations, emulsified oils, and metalworking oils. If preparing oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions, it is recommended to blend with AEO series products with higher EO degrees (such as AEO-7, AEO-9) to achieve better emulsification effects and HLB value matching.
When synthesizing AES, AEO-3 is an industrial standard sulfonation raw material. It must undergo sulfation reaction with sulfur trioxide (SO₃) or chlorosulfonic acid in a dedicated sulfonation device, followed by alkali neutralization to obtain the finished AES. In textile scouring agent formulations, MOA-3 is often compounded with anionic surfactants and builders. The recommended dosage should be optimized according to specific processes and equipment conditions.