After the second posting of my blog, i was out of idea for themes or topics to be written as the third posting. What i did was took out all my "properties" and "observed" their ingredients listed behind. I found that there are a few chemical compounds present in almost all personal care products from the head to the toe such as shampoo, hair conditioners and treatment masks, shower foams, nail polish removers, moushwash, toothpastes, body lotions, facial creams and many others skin care products.
GLYCERIN is one of the chemical compounds which present in majority of my personal care products! What about yours?
CHECK IT OUT! ^o^
Understanding GLYCERIN...
Glycerin is a colorless, odorless and viscous liquid. The word "Glycerin" is in fact derived from the Greek word "Glykys" which means "sweet". This is because Glycerin is sweet, syrupy tasting and of low toxicity. This chemical compound is also commonly known as :
v Glycerol
v Glycerine
v propane-1,2,3-triol
v 1,2,3-propanetriol
v 1,2,3-trihydroxypropane
v glyceritol
v glycyl alcohol
Structural Formula:
Molecular Formula : C3H5(OH)
3D Structural Formula :
Glycerin molecules have three hydrophilic or polar hydroxyl groups which contributes to its solubility in water and hygroscopic characteristic. The substructure of glycerin is a central unit of many lipids as glycerin makes up the backbone of a triglyceride. Glycerin has a melting point of 20°C and boiling point of 290°C. The low melting point simply explains why glycerin is always in the form of liquid at room temperature :)
Backbone of a triglyceride
Glycerin is discovered through hydrolysate of olive oil by K.W. Shele, a Swedish scientist in 1779. Nowadays, Production of glycerin is through either saponification or transesterification processes. There are two types of Glycerin :
Ø Natural glycerin - derived from oils and fats of plants or animals.
Ø Synthetic glycerin - made from petroleum
Saponification is actually the process of soap making by reacting a strong basic or alkaline solution with common fats or oils. Vegetable oils and animal fats are normally fatty esters in triglycerides form. In this process, the fats will be hydrolyzed by the alkali producing an alkali salt of the fatty acid and Glycerin
Transesterification is another process in which an ester group is exchanged with that of another, higher alcohol to produce a new ester. This process often requires a catalyst of either acid or base, Sodium Hydroxide NaOH, is a common example..
Let's look at the general formula of this process :
In the chemical equation, we see that the organic group R" Of an ester is interchanging with the group R' of the alcohol.
The transesterification process of triglycerides from animal fats or vegetable oils :
This process is the production of biodiesel.
Usages
With three polar hydroxyl groups, glycerin plays an important role as a type of humectant with its potent hygroscopic nature. Meaning, it has great ability in attracting water molecules! Therefore, glycerin can be found in many personal care products where moisturization is desired. Our skins need moistures to stay in supple condition, glycerin can act as a "water magnet" to bind with water molecules and effectively locks them in our skin cells! :) That's why Glycerin is always one of the "a must" component in majority of hair or skin care products of mine and yours!
~ O.o No Wonder~~~
A type of humectants!
Some products of glycerin :
Cute piggy glycerin soap :)
Some other lovely soaps !^_^!
Glycerin Hand soap
Lotion
Being a humaectant, glycerin is also a good "helper" in presevating of foods and manufacturing cigarettes and tobbaco products. When it is being used as a food additive, it can help in keeping some foods moist for excellent condition as it seals the moistures in the products..
Cigarette : "Hey, Do you know? Glycerin is one of my organs!"
In pharmaceutical products, glycerin can be found in cough medications, mucolytic agent and many more. Mucolytic agent is medication that helps to relieve breathing difficulities, for example, nose blocking - a problem which i've always been facing :)
Glycerin Sore throat medicine
In addition, glycerin is used as a type of sweeteners due to its lower glycemic index, that is, slower rate of sugar absorption although having the same caloric density as table sugar.
Besides, glycerin is used in the production of Nitroglycerin, a dominant ingredient for manufacturing explosive material as well as gunpowder used during wars.
Apart from all stated above, glycerin has many more usages and benefits, tell you more about it some day later by chance perhaps? !^_^! : p
