A Comparative Study of the Hydroxyl Value and Iodine Value in Polyoxyl Stearyl Ether in United States Pharmacopeia Specifications

The iodine value (iodine number) and hydroxyl value are important analytical characteristics of fats and oils. The iodine (I2) required saturating the fatty acids present in 100 grams of the oil or fat. Iodine value is a measure of the total number of double bonds (-C=C-) present in fats and oils. Unsaturated compounds contain molecules with double and triple bonds which are very reactive towards iodine. The iodine value has been determined according to Hanus with iodine monobromide in glacial acetic acid, and then the amount of iodine remaining unreacted is determined by titration using sodium thiosulfate volumetric standard solution. The hydroxyl value is the amount of potassium hydroxide in milligrams that is equivalent to the hydroxyl amount of 1 gram of the sample (mg KOH/g sample). Poloxyl Stearyl Ether is a mixture of the monostearyl ethers of mixed polyethylene glycols. It may contain various amounts of free stearyl alcohol and some free polyethylene glycol. In this study, the iodine value and hydroxyl value have been determined by titration in polyoxyl stearyl ether. Iodine value 1.84 g of I2 absorbed/100g sample, and hydroxyl value 162.65 mg KOH/g sample have been found in poloxyl stearyl ether. The iodine value and hydroxyl value results met the United States Pharmacopeia specifications for Polyoxyl Stearyl Ether.