Hydrotropes
Review article, 2016

The concepts "hydrotrope" and "hydrotropy" are reviewed with a strong focus on the literature from recent years. The action and physical-chemical behavior of hydrotropes are discussed in relation to co-solubilizers and surfactants. A definition of a hydrotrope is formulated, and it is demonstrated that the unique behavior of a hydrotrope, which distinguishes this class of substances from both co-solubilizers and regular surfactants, is that the aggregation is weak without a hydrophobic solute, but there is a pronounced aggregation in the presence of a hydrophobic solute.

Hydrotrope

Co-solubilizer

Hydrotropy

Solubilization

Author

Werner Kunz

University of Regensburg

Krister Holmberg

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry

Thomas Zemb

Institut de Chimie Séparative de Marcoule

Current Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science

1359-0294 (ISSN) 18790399 (eISSN)

Vol. 22 99-107

Subject Categories

Chemical Engineering

Chemical Sciences

Areas of Advance

Materials Science

DOI

10.1016/j.cocis.2016.03.005

More information

Latest update

7/2/2021 6