Methylethyl cellulose
Structural formula | |||||||
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Simplified structural formula of methylethyl cellulose (R = H or CH 3 or CH 2 CH 3 ) | |||||||
General | |||||||
Surname | Methylethyl cellulose | ||||||
other names |
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CAS number | 9004-69-7 | ||||||
Monomers / partial structures | Cellobiose , methyl chloride , ethyl chloride | ||||||
Brief description |
hygroscopic, odorless, yellowish powder |
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properties | |||||||
Physical state |
firmly |
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solubility |
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safety instructions | |||||||
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As far as possible and customary, SI units are used. Unless otherwise noted, the data given apply to standard conditions . |
Methylcellulose ( MEC ) is a collective term for cellulose ethers ( derivatives of cellulose ) in which some of the hydroxyl groups are linked as ethers with methyl and ethyl groups. In Europe, methyl cellulose is approved as a food additive under the E number E 465 .
Manufacturing
Cellulose or pulp is ground and mixed with alkali. The alkylation of the alkali cellulose to methylethyl cellulose then takes place in succession with methyl chloride and ethyl chloride . The cellulose is obtained from conifers and hardwoods. The original cellulose structure is retained during the conversion.
Properties / use
MEC has comparable rheological properties to the related methyl cellulose . Methylethyl cellulose can be used as a thickener , stabilizer , foaming agent and emulsifier . The production volume in the 1990s was 60 tons per year, today MEC is no longer produced.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Entry on E 465: Ethyl methyl cellulose in the European database for food additives, accessed on August 6, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d Methyl Ethyl Cellulose , monograph by 17th JECFA (1973), published in FNP 4 (1978) and FNP 52 (1992).
- ↑ This substance has either not yet been classified with regard to its hazardousness or a reliable and citable source has not yet been found.
- ↑ a b c d Tanja Wüstenberg: Cellulose and cellulose derivatives. Behr's Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-95468-188-4 , p. 295 ( limited preview in Google book search).