PEG 400
Encyclopedia
PEG 400 is a low-molecular-weight grade of polyethylene glycol
Polyethylene glycol
Polyethylene glycol is a polyether compound with many applications from industrial manufacturing to medicine. It has also been known as polyethylene oxide or polyoxyethylene , depending on its molecular weight, and under the tradename Carbowax.-Available forms:PEG, PEO, or POE refers to an...

. It is a clear, colorless, viscous liquid. Due in part to its low toxicity, PEG 400 is widely used in a variety of pharmaceutical formulations. More recently, it has been used to make "E-Liquid" for Electronic Cigarettes (Personal Vaporizers).

Chemical properties

PEG 400 is strongly hydrophilic. The partition coefficient
Partition coefficient
In chemistry and the pharmaceutical sciences, a partition- or distribution coefficient is the ratio of concentrations of a compound in the two phases of a mixture of two immiscible solvents at equilibrium. The terms "gas/liquid partition coefficient" and "air/water partition coefficient" are...

of PEG 400 between hexane and water is 0.000015 (log), indicating that when PEG 400 is mixed with water and hexane, there are only 1.5 parts of PEG 400 in the hexane layer per 100,000 parts of PEG 400 in the water layer.

PEG 400 is soluble in water, acetone, alcohols, benzene, glycerin, glycols, and aromatic hydrocarbons, and is slightly soluble in aliphatic hydrocarbons.
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