CHEMICALS FROM FATS AND OILS 95 ising competitors for the anionics and the cationics, particularly in so far as emulsification is concerned. They are excellent detergents too, but essentially non-sudsers, by themselves at least. As emulsifiers, however, their advantages are obvious. We can obtain any desired balance ofhydro- phobic properties (hydrocarbon chain length, that is) and hydrophilic properties we like, simply by adding more or less ethylene oxide and this can be done while maintaining the ester, amide, or amine function in the molecule. A short list of their applications would include such things as wax emulsification, use in insecticide and herbicide combinations, buffing agents, leather degreasers, paper rewetters, dry-cleaners, auto polishes, de-inkers, etc. In terms of application to the cosmetic industry, several examples are available. Ethomeen S/25 (Soya amine plus 15 mols of ethylene oxide) has been tried as a dye solubilizer and viscosity stabilizer in hair tints the Ethomids (amide plus ethylene oxide) have been tried as plasticizers and softeners in shellacs for hair sprays the etho-chemicals have been suggested as viscosity controllers for Ninol type shampoos and hair oils 5% of equal parts of Ethofat 60/15 (fatty acid plus ethylene oxide) and 60/20 has been suggested for lanolin or mineral oil emulsification in water and a combination of Ethomeen S/12, S/20, and Arquad 2C gives a satisfactory formulation for a lanolin emulsion hair dressing. In addition, since ethanolamine sulfite is known as a hair waving in- gredient, perhaps Ethomeen C/12 sulfite will also function in this capacity, since it, too, is an ethanolamine type of derivative. In conclusion, it seems to me that any future developments in this field will come from two sources. First, from an interest in and the application of these very versatile chemicals by the cosmetic chemist himself, and secondly, from the active application research programs of the companies supplying these chemicals.

USES OF CHELATING AND SEQUESTERING AGENTS IN COSMETICS* By G. H. GOODYEAR and B. L. HATHORNE Glyco Products Company, ]nc., Brooklyn 2, N.Y. LET US TALK ABOUT chelating and sequestering agents and their properties. These materials should enable the cosmetic manufacturer not only to preserve and insure superior properties of his products but should be tools to give him improved products. Soluble metallic ions cause trouble in manufacture, shelf life, and application of cosmetic prod- ucts. The manufacturing problems are more readily avoided but shelf life and application problems can be very serious. Actually, it is diffi- cult to obtain raw materials which are consistently or ever completely free from trace mineral contamination. Even though the specifications show them to be very low, there are usually contaminants present and they can frequently cause trouble. They come in chemical raw materials, they are removed from the sides of mixing vessels, they are in the water used, and come from the surface of the bottles or containers in which prod- ucts may be stored. And, speaking of containers, it has been aptly said that a cosmetic product must be designed for the container in which it is to be sold. Bottles and other containers just don't have completely inert surfaces. Glass will yield a little sodium hydroxide and calcium ions on standing. And the very popular colored glass may yield other ions which are there to color the glass. This may seem a little far fetched but let me point to the fact that one of the new ideas in agriculture, which is working quite satisfactorily, is the process whereby they place trace elements in a glass frit, which is then spread over the soil so as to release these trace elements slowly as they are needed by the growing plants. Also, beautiful and artistic bottles have an unusually large amount of sur- face in relation to their contents. Obviously, this gives an even greater chance for solution from those walls. Some of you may comment that many in the industry are using plastic bottles and so have none of these troubles. These plastic bottles are made from metal dies and these metal dies do wear. After they are worn, they are plated back to original dimen- sions and sometimes this plating is done with chromium. If one were * Presented at the January 12, 1954, Meeting, Chicago Section Chicago, Ill.