Hydroxyethylcellulose

Products

Hydroxyethyl cellulose is available as a pure substance in pharmacies and drugstores. It is included in various drugs as an excipient.

Structure and properties

Hydroxyethyl cellulose is a partially -(2-hydroxyethylated) cellulose. It is produced with ethylene oxide and cellulose. Hydroxyethyl cellulose exists as a white, yellowish white, or grayish white powder or as granules and is soluble in cold or hot water to form a colloidal solution. The label indicates the viscosity of a two percent solution (e.g., hydroxyethylcellulose 5000).

Effects

Hydroxyethyl cellulose has gelling, thickening, viscosity-increasing, and stabilizing properties.

Fields of application

As a pharmaceutical excipient:

• For the preparation of gels.
• As a thickener and stabilizer, for example, for solutions, syrups, emulsions and suspensions.
• For the production of tablets and capsules, for example, as a solubilizer and film former.
• As a binder for granules.