Lauramine Oxide Safety Guide

-

 

What is Lauramine Oxide?

Lauramine Oxide, also known as lauryldimethylamine oxide (LDAO) or dodecyldimethylamine oxide (DDAO), is a tertiary amine oxide, a type of organic compound. Lauramine oxide has surfactant properties, which can stabilize foams, making it an ingredient in many cleaning products including glass cleaners, laundry detergents, and hand soaps.

Lauramine Oxide has the CAS Number 1643-20-5.

Notable Properties of Lauramine Oxide

Under normal conditions, lauramine oxide is a crystalline solid. It is a highly hygroscopic substance, meaning it will readily absorb water from the environment around it. It is soluble in water and can also be found in aqueous solutions.

What Makes Lauramine Oxide Hazardous?

Concentrated lauramine oxide is corrosive, and can cause serious eye damage, skin irritation, and respiratory irritation. Lauramine oxide is also harmful if swallowed, causing both irritation to the mucus membranes and being toxic.

In addition to having human health risks, lauramine oxide can be hazardous to aquatic life with long lasting effects and should not be released into water systems.

Lauramine Oxide Frequently Asked Questions

Is lauramine oxide flammable?

Lauramine oxide is not considered flammable for the purposes of transportation safety.

As an organic compound, lauramine oxide can act as a fuel source in a fire scenario. Due to its chemical composition, lauramine oxide can break down into hazardous gases if burned, including carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

Is lauramine oxide acidic or basic?

Lauramine oxide is basic and can react with acids, which is an exothermic reaction that can give off a significant amount of heat depending on the concentrations and quantities involved.

Why is there lauramine oxide in hand soap?

Lauramine oxide is a surfactant, which can help stabilize foam. This produces a more satisfying lather for washing hands. Lauramine oxide also has some antimicrobial properties, making it a popular dual-purpose ingredient for antimicrobial hand soaps.

6 Steps for Safety

Step 1: Read the Warnings

When working with a product for the first time, always read all the safety documents first. This includes safety data sheets, which should be provided by the manufacturer or importer of the geraniol product. There may also be an OSHA chemical label or a Consumer Protection label on the packaging of the lauramine oxide containing product. These documents all contain important information on the hazards of the product and instructions on how to mitigate those hazards.

Note that different products which contain lauramine oxide can have different safety considerations depending on other ingredients and the relative concentrations of those ingredients. For example, a scented hand soap which uses geraniol as a fragrance component may have additional respiratory irritation warnings.

Step 2: Prepare Your Workspace

Creating a safe workspace, sometimes referred to as engineering control, is a key component of working safely with any potentially hazardous substance.

Lauramine oxide can be worked with both as a solid crystalline substance, which can have dust related hazards, and as an aqueous solution, which can have liquid splash related hazards.

For dust hazards, a dust collection system which can filter out any small organic particles is important. This prevents respiratory harm caused by breathing in a corrosive substance.

Step 3: Gather Your PPE

For handling solid lauramine oxide, the following PPE is recommended.

  • Eye Protection
    • Safety goggles which form a protective seal around the eyes can be used to prevent lauramine oxide dust from reaching the eyes.
  • Respiratory Protection
    • Particularly with activities that are likely to cause airborne dust, such as powdering or pouring large quantities from one container to another, a respirator with an appropriately rated filter for organic substances is recommended to prevent inhalation.
  • Gloves
    • Basic disposable gloves, or other rubberized gloves, will prevent lauramine oxide from touching the skin on the hands and causing irritation.

For handling a liquid lauramine oxide solution, the following PPE is recommended.

  • Eye Protection
    • Safety goggles which form a protective seal around the eyes can be used to prevent lauramine oxide liquid splashes from reaching the eyes.
  • Respiratory Protection
    • A respirator with an appropriately rated filter for organic substances is recommended to prevent inhalation of lauramine oxide droplets.
  • Gloves
    • Basic disposable gloves, or other rubberized gloves, will prevent lauramine oxide from touching the skin on the hands and causing irritation.
  • Body Covering
    • A rubberized apron or other body covering should be worn to prevent liquid splashes from contacting the clothing.
  • Closed Toe Shoes
    • Closed toed shoes with a solid top (not tennis shoes) should be worn to prevent liquid contact with the feet.

Step 4: Clear Your Workspace

Having a clear workspace is important for safety as it can prevent accidents caused by tripping, as well as allowing you to easily spot any spills.

This is also a good time to ensure all engineering controls are functional. This includes any dust collection systems and appropriate ventilation.

Step 5: Do The Work

If engineering controls and PPE are used properly, working with lauramine oxide can be done safely.

If work cannot be completed in one sitting, be sure to properly seal any lauramine oxide containers to prevent spills or accidental release when not in use.

Step 6: Clean Up

Lauramine oxide may leave residue from any drips or small spills. Clean up lauramine oxide with an absorbent material, such as paper towels, or a granular absorbent such as sawdust.

Since lauramine oxide can be hazardous to the environment, take extra care that none is released into the water system, including large quantities being flushed down municipal drainage systems.

Be sure to dispose of any waste in accordance with local regulations.

Further Reading

The National Library of Medicine has a PubChem article on Lauramine Oxide.

Check out the Safety Guide Series Hub for more safety guides.

Sources Cited

Birnie, C. R., Malamud, D., & Schnaare, R. L. (2000). Antimicrobial evaluation of N-alkyl betaines and N-alkyl-N, N-dimethylamine oxides with variations in chain length. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy, 44(9), 2514–2517. https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.44.9.2514-2517.2000

National Center for Biotechnology Information (2025). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 15433, Lauramine oxide. Retrieved March 12, 2025 from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/15433

National Center for Biotechnology Information (2025). PubChem Annotation Record for , LAURAMINE OXIDE, Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB). Retrieved March 12, 2025 from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/source/hsdb/5451

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (n.d.). 2 DIMETHYLDODECYLAMINE-N-OXIDE. CAMEO Chemicals. Retrieved March 12, 2025, from https://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/chemical/20239

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mica Powder Safety Guide

-
Image
What is Mica Powder? Mica is a group of natural hydrous silicate minerals noted for their lustrous shine, which makes it a popular additive in powder pigments. Mica can be found both in cosmetics and in artists' pigments used in painting, epoxy resin, soapmaking, and other crafts. Mica groups several different naturally occurring hydrous silicate minerals, including the more common biotite and muscovite, as well as lepidolite, margarite, phlogopite, roscoelite, and zimmwaldite. Mica has a CAS Number 12001-26-2. The CAS Number is used to identify mica as an ingredient on safety data sheets (SDS) and other safety documentation. When looking for mica as an ingredient in pigments, colorants, finishes, or other materials, look for the CAS Number within the composition table. Notable Properties of Mica Powder Mica is most noted for its lustrous shine or shimmer due to the shape of the hydrous silicate crystals. It is naturally colorless and odorless, with any color or odor coming from na...
Read more

Orange Oil Safety Guide

-
Image
What is Orange Oil? Orange oil, also known as orange essential oil and orange terpene, is a mixture of naturally occurring oils found in the rind of the orange fruit. The primary component of the oil mixture is d-limonene. Orange oil is popular as a fragrance used in aromatherapy, candle making, and soap making. It is also sold as a cleaning agent, often being the primary ingredient in many products sold as a "natural cleaner" or "natural degreaser." Orange terpene, as a mixture of naturally derived oils, has the CAS Number 8028-48-6. Pure D-Limonene has the CAS Number 5989-27-5. The CAS Number is used to identify orange oil as an ingredient on safety data sheets (SDS) and other safety documents. When looking for orange oil as an ingredient in fragrances, cleaning agents, or other products, look for the above CAS Numbers within the composition table. Notable Properties of Orange Oil Orange oil is valued for its fragrance, smelling like citrus, as well as being a deg...
Read more

Using the Five Senses for Detecting Hazardous Chemicals

-
Image
  Being informed is an important aspect of maintaining workplace safety. Most information on hazardous chemicals will come from the labels and safety data sheets (SDS). These documents will describe the hazardous properties of the chemicals, as well as their appearance, state of matter, and other identifying chemical and physical properties. Being able to recognize and use this information is important for detecting hazardous chemicals in the event of an accident. How to Safely Use the Five Senses for Detecting Hazardous Chemicals Human senses can be used to directly identify the presence of hazardous chemicals, from seeing a spill to smelling an odor. There are some hazardous chemicals that become hazardous to human health before they can be sensed or cannot be sensed at all due to lacking identifying properties such as color or scent. For these types of hazardous chemicals, detection and alarm systems are a vital part of creating a safe work environment. These alarm systems provi...
Read more