Re: SODIUM LAURYL SULPHATE breakdown

For whatever reason, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (sodium dodecyl sulfate: SDS) has been a hot topic of interest here at the Mad Sci. Net. Here is what the Merck Index has to say about it:

mol wt 288.38
Anionic detergent prepd by sulfation of lauryl alcohol,
followed by neutralization with sodium carbonate.  White
or cream-colored crystals, flakes, or powder.  Faint odor
of fatty substances.  Smooth feel.  Neutral reaction.  One
gram dissolves in 10 ml water, giving an opalescent soln.
Lowers the surface tension of aq solns.  Emulsifies fats.
LD50 in rats: 1288 mg/kg.

• SIRI
• JT Baker
• Fisher Scientific
• Sigma-Aldrich

N.B. Sodium laureth sulfate is the polyglycol ether of SDS - basically SDS with a very long polyester tail (MSDS for sodium laureth sulfate here).