Nonidet P-40 is a nonionic, non-denaturing
detergent
A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties when in dilute solutions. There are a large variety of detergents, a common family being the alkylbenzene sulfonates, which are soap-like compounds that are more ...
. Its official
IUPAC
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC ) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is ...
name is octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol. Nonidet is a trademark of
Shell Chemical Co.
Nonidet P-40 is sometimes abbreviated as NP-40, but should not be confused with a different detergent by the same name
NP-40
NP-40 (also known as Tergitol-type NP-40 and nonyl phenoxypolyethoxylethanol) is a commercially available detergent with CAS Registry Number 9016-45-9. NP-40 is an ethoxylated nonylphenol for non-ionic surfactants and can act as emulsifier and d ...
, nonylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol of the Tergitol NP series of Dow Chemicals.
Nonidet P-40 is no longer sold by the chemical company
Sigma-Aldrich
Sigma-Aldrich (formally MilliporeSigma) is an American chemical, life science, and biotechnology company that is owned by the German chemical conglomerate Merck Group.
Sigma-Aldrich was created in 1975 by the merger of Sigma Chemical Company a ...
. Sigma-Aldrich has replaced Nonidet P-40 with
IGEPAL CA-630, which is described as a "nonionic, non-denaturing detergent". Sigma-Aldrich claims that IGEPAL CA-630 is "chemically indistinguishable from Nonidet P-40".
IGEPAL consists of octyl-phenoxy(polyoxyethylene)ethanol. Tergitol and the Sigma and BioChemica Nonidet P40 substitute detergents consist of nonyl-phenyl-polyethylene glycol. The original Shell Nonidet P-40 consisted of octyl-phenoxy(polyoxyethylene)ethanol, making IGEPAL the most comparable of the four substitutes.
References
Non-ionic surfactants
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