Sorbitan Sesquioleate
[CAS 8007-43-0]

Identification

• Classification: Organic raw materials >> Carboxylic compounds and derivatives >> Carboxylic esters and their derivatives
• Name: Sorbitan Sesquioleate
• Synonyms: Sorbitan dioleate
• Molecular Formula: C₆₆H₁₃₀O₁₈
• Molecular Weight: 1211.73
• CAS Registry Number: 8007-43-0
• EC Number: 232-360-1
• SMILES: CCCCCCCC/C=CCCCCCCCC(=O)O.CCCCCCCC/C=CCCCCCCCC(=O)O.CCCCCCCC/C=CCCCCCCCC(=O)O.C(O)[C@@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@H](O)[C@@H](O)CO.C(O)[C@@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@H](O)[C@@H](O)CO

Safety Data

• Hazard Symbols: GHS07 Warning
• Risk Statements: H302-H315-H319-H335
• Safety Statements: P261-P305+P351+P338

chemBlink Chemical Story

Sorbitan Sesquioleate, CAS 8007-43-0, is a classic nonionic sorbitan-oleate surfactant. Its chemical story is best understood by looking at how its structure creates function rather than by treating the name as a simple catalog label. The molecule or material combines lipophilic oleate chains and an oxygen-rich sorbitan region, a combination that explains its relevance to water-in-oil emulsification, wetting and formulation.

Oleate chains favor the oil phase while the sorbitan portion remains nearer the polar interface. Occupying that boundary lowers interfacial tension and helps prevent dispersed droplets from rapidly coalescing. Health Canada lists emulsifying, solubilizing, surfactant and wetting functions, and pharmaceutical references document use in creams and ointments.

The material is also discussed in contact-allergy literature because an emulsifier used in topical products can itself interact biologically with skin. Its name describes an average ester composition rather than one perfectly uniform small molecule.

A broader lesson follows from this example. Chemical identity is only the starting point for performance. In polymers and surfactants, composition, molecular distribution and formulation can dominate behavior; in synthetic intermediates, the value may lie in transformations that occur only in later steps; in biologically active compounds, mechanism must be separated from clinical evidence. For Sorbitan Sesquioleate, the most reliable interpretation is therefore the one supported by its documented chemistry and literature rather than an assumed application.

The compound also illustrates why specialty chemicals often look more complicated than their job description suggests. Functional groups are selected to solve different parts of a practical problem: one region may provide reactivity, another solubility or interfacial affinity, and another stability or a controllable breaking point. Once those roles are separated, the long chemical name becomes a map of molecular design.

References:
Health Canada NHPID, Sorbitan sesquioleate, CAS 8007-43-0; Dormer Laboratories, Sorbitan sesquioleate; Rosen MJ, Kunjappu JT. Surfactants and Interfacial Phenomena. 4th ed. Wiley, 2012.

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