Hydrophile-Lipophile Balance Values for O/W Emulsions Stabilized by Nonionic Surfactants. I. Hydrophile-Lipophile Balance Values of Nonionic Surfactants Determined by Emulsification

Abstract

Abstract The HLB values of several types of nonionic surfactants were determined by experiments in emulsification according to the concept of HLB suggested by Griffin. The HLB values required to emulsify the mineral oil do not show a consistent value, although the values are limited within a narrow range. The HLB values calculated according to the law of the additivity for the surfactant mixture, [HLB]a, and the values calculated by the equations proposed by Griffin, [HLB]calcd, were compared. The differences between these two values were most remarkable in the case of sorbitan fatty acid esters and became greater at the higher mole numbers of the ethylene oxide in the molecule, excepting polyoxyethylene sorbitan esters and polyethylene glycol stearates. Some explanations were attempted for such differences and for the deviations from the assumed additive properties of the HLB system, in connection with the role or behavior of nonionic surfactants in emulsification.