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lauroyl

lauroyl

1 9.9
A chemical group made from lauric acid found in soaps and shampoos
  • noun
  • Specialized
: lauroilo
  • The lauroyl group can improve the effectiveness of cleaning agents in many detergents.

Examples

  • Sodium lauroyl is often used in shampoos to help remove dirt and oil from hair.

  • Many personal care products contain lauroyl for its surfactant properties.

  • I was under the impression that the soap needed to have sodium lauroyl or tallowate, which it has.

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Surface Forms

lauroyl singular
lauroyls plural

Morphology

lauroyl = lauric (semi-transparent) = laur + oyl

The suffix '-oyl' is a common chemical suffix indicating an acyl group, but the specific chemical knowledge required makes it semi-transparent.

Etymology

The word lauroyl comes from lauric, from Latin laurus 'laurel', and the ending -oyl meaning 'a part taken from an acid'. So a lauroyl group is the 'laurel' acid part often found in soaps, shampoos, and other cleaning products.