What is Sodium Docusate?
Chemical Structure of Docusate Sodium
Synonyms: Docusate sodium Bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate sodium salt
Formula: C20H36O7SNa
Molecular weight: 444,56 g/mol
CAS-No.: 577-11-7
EC-No.: 209-406-4
Sodium docusate, also known as dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium (DOSS), is a chemical commonly used in various consumer products, especially ear drops and laxatives, due to its ability to soften earwax. However, sodium docusate salt actually has a much wider range of applications, covering industries such as pharmaceuticals, food, personal care, agriculture, and many others.
Due to its wide range of uses, the demand for sodium docusate continues to increase alongside industrial growth. Not only in Asia, sodium docusate is also widely used globally, with steadily increasing demand since 2017. Below are market trend insights for this raw material from 2017 to the projected growth in 2029.
Market Trends for Docusate Sodium Salt in Various Regions
Uses of Sodium Docusate Salt
In the Pharmaceutical Industry
Sodium docusate is an over-the-counter medication, meaning it can be sold freely without prescription. It contains active ingredients that help soften earwax, making it commonly used in ear drop products. In addition, sodium docusate also has laxative properties, allowing it to be used to help prevent and treat constipation at certain dosages.
In the Food Industry
In the food industry, sodium docusate has various functions, including, surfactant, stabilizer, thickener, wetting agent, solvent, emulsifier, dispersing agent. Its ability to reduce surface tension makes sodium docusate highly suitable as an anionic surfactant.
In the Agriculture Industry
In agriculture, sodium docusate salt is effective as a pesticide to control leaf-eating caterpillars on crops. It is commonly used for olive plants, almonds, grapes, corn, and citrus plants. This ingredient can also help improve agrochemical compositions in fertilizers.
In Other Industries
Sodium docusate is a highly efficient penetrant, making it suitable for processing cotton, hemp, viscose, blended textile products. Fabrics treated with sodium docusate can be directly dyed or bleached without requiring a scouring process. In addition, its surface tension reducing properties also make it useful as a cleaning agent. Sodium docusate is proven effective in cleaning petrochemical-based materials from surfaces. This versatile salt is also used in paint and coating production as, binder, emulsifier, thickener, dispersing agent, and more.
Applications of Sodium Docusate as a Raw Material
Besides its active properties, sodium docusate also offers several advantages that make it highly suitable for various industrial applications. Advantages of Sodium Docusate:
- Easily soluble in water, making it suitable for various water-based applications
- Has excellent wetting, emulsifying, and foaming properties
- Fast and even penetration performance, especially effective below 40°C
In addition to the advantages above, there are several important considerations when using sodium docusate as a raw material, as follows:
- Not resistant to strong acids, strong alkalis, heavy metal salts, and reducing agents
- Direct mixing with strong alkalis is not recommended. Strong alkali solutions should be diluted before adding sodium docusate salt.
Sodium Docusate Supplier
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