Products Description of Petrolatum CAS#8009-03-8
Petrolatum (commonly known as Vaseline) is a mixture of malthenes refined from lubricating oil, composed of residual oil and waxy fractions. As an indispensable lubricant, it finds applications in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, fine chemical feedstocks and precision-instrument fields.
In China, petrolatum is mainly categorized into general-grade, industrial-grade and medical-grade variants. General-grade petrolatum is suitable for formulating various ointments and acts as a softener for dark-coloured rubber goods. Industrial-grade petrolatum delivers anti-rust protection for metal articles and mechanical parts, provides light-load lubrication, and also functions as a leather-treating agent and rubber softener.
Medical-grade petrolatum represents the most widely-used grade, subdivided into white petrolatum and yellow petrolatum. It is extensively adopted to produce ointments, skin-care protective creams and cosmetic raw materials. Furthermore, it offers rust prevention and lubrication for medical apparatus and precision instruments.
Petrolatum Chemical Properties
Melting point | 70-80 °C ((ASTM D 127)) |
Boiling point | 322 °C |
density | 0.84 |
refractive index | n20/D 1.45 |
Fp | 198 °C |
storage temp. | Sealed in dry,Room Temperature |
solubility | Practically insoluble in acetone, ethanol, hot or cold ethanol (95%), glycerin, and water; soluble in benzene, carbon disulfide, chloroform, ether, hexane, and most fixed and volatile oils. |
form | extra-low viscosity oil |
color | white |
Specific Gravity | 0.815～0.880 (60℃) |
PH | pH (25℃) : 4.5～8.0 |
Odor | Odorless |
Water Solubility | Insoluble in water |
Dielectric constant | 2.0（Ambient） |
Stability: | Stable. Combustible. Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents. |
EPA Substance Registry System | Petrolatum (8009-03-8) |
Risk Statements | 45 |
Safety Statements | 24/25-45-53 |
WGK Germany | 3 |
RTECS | RV0350000 |
HS Code | 27121000 |
Hazardous Substances Data | 8009-03-8(Hazardous Substances Data) |
Product Usage
Thanks to its colourless and odourless characteristics, chemical inertness, semi-solid consistency, lipophilic property and favourable adhesion, petrolatum serves as an ideal base material for hair creams, hair conditioners, eye creams, lipsticks and wax-based preparations.
Medical-grade petrolatum is extensively employed as an ointment base. It exhibits good compatibility with the majority of pharmaceutical ingredients and will not trigger property alteration of active substances. Hydrophilic petrolatum can be obtained by melting and homogeneously blending petrolatum with alcohols including stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol and cholesterol. Such hydrophilic petrolatum features high permeability, satisfactory stability and low irritation. It is applicable for relieving dry-skin disorders such as rashes, erythema and papules, and also facilitates the elimination of crusts and desquamation.
Petrolatum can also act as a non-ionic emulsifier and shows compatibility with components such as cholesterol, bringing considerable flexibility to formula development. Owing to its water-absorbing capacity, it can be compounded with liquid or water-borne pharmaceutical preparations.
For industrial scenarios, petrolatum works as a rubber softener, anti-rust agent for metal articles, and raw material for manufacturing anti-rust greases.
