| Description | Tween 20, whose common commercial names includes Alkest TW 20 and Polysorbate 20, is a mild nonionic surfactant formed by the ethoxylation of sorbitan before the addition of lauric acid which is a medium-chain fatty acid found mainly in coconut oil. It is allowed to be used as the emulsifier, detergent, dispersant, solvent and stabilizer, etc. in a number of fields such as pharmaceutical, chemical, food, textile and other industries due to its stability and relative non-toxicity.
Tween 20 is widely applied in biological techniques and sciences, which can be added to buffers and reagents for immunohistochemistry, such as Western blots and ELISAs, helping to prevent non-specific antibody binding, decrease background staining and enhance reagent spreading. Besides, Tween 20 also has applications in food production as a common food grade additive which are found in many consumables on the market today. It can also be used as a wetting agent in flavored mouth drops such as Ice Drops, in oral or non-gastrointestinal suspensions and in rubber balers in the elastomer industry. |
| References | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polysorbate_20
http://www.organic-creations.com/thickeners-stabilizers/599-polysorbate-20 |
| Chemical Properties | Polysorbate 20 is a mixture of laurate partial esters of sorbitol and sorbitol anhydrides condensed with approximately20 mole of ethylene oxide (C2H4O) for each mole of sorbitol and its mono- and dianhydrides. It has a faint, characteristic odor and awarm, somewhat bitter taste. |
| Chemical Properties | Yellow liquid |
| Uses | Used for solubilizing membrane proteins during isolation and purification.Polysorbate 20 is used as a wetting agent in flavored mouth drops. It acts as a washing agent in Western blots and ELISAs and prevents antibody binding. It is a solubilizing agent of membrane proteins. In pharmaceutical chemistry, it is used as an excipient to stabilize emulsions and suspensions. Further, it is used as a dispersing agent, stabilizer, lubricator and also used in creams, salves, ointments, protective creams, balms, pomades, lipsticks, mascaras and glosses. |
| Uses | polysorbate 20 is a solubilizer, emulsifier, viscosity modifier, and stabilizer of essential oils in water. |
| Preparation | polysorbate 20 is prepared by condensing the partial esters of sorbitol and its anhydrides with ethylene oxide to effect an oxyethylene copolymerization at the free hydroxyl groups. |
| Definition | ChEBI: Polysorbate 20 (Tween 20) is a polymer composed of PEG-ylated sorbitan, where the total number of poly(ethylene glycol) units is 20 (w + x + y + z = 20) and a single terminal is capped by a dodecanoyl group. It is a surfactant and emulsifier used in cleaners and personal care products. |
| Brand name | Tween 20 (ICI Americas). |
| General Description | Polysorbate 20 is a hydrophilic nonionic surfactant generally used as emulsifiers, dispersing agent and solubilizer. |
| Health effects | Polysorbate 20 was a skin irritant in dermatitis patients but was reported not to induce irritant responses when applied to the intact skin of health volunteers. It produced, at worst, minimal irritation in the eyes of rabbits. Only a small number of cases of skin sensitization have been reported in humans, although a moderate to strong sensitizing potential was seen in guinea-pigs treated by intradermal injection. |
| Flammability and Explosibility | Non flammable |
| Biological Activity | Tween(R) 20, functioning as a detergent, potentially operates by binding to the hydrophobic components of water-insoluble substances, thereby making them hydrophilic. |
| Safety Profile | Moderately toxic byintravenous route. Mddly toxic by ingestion.A human skin irritant. When heated todecomposition it emits acrid smoke andirritating fumes. |
