Editing Lanolin (section)

== Composition ==

A typical high-purity grade of lanolin is composed predominantly of [[long chain]] waxy [[ester]]s (approximately 97% by weight) with the remainder being lanolin [[Alcohol (chemistry)|alcohol]]s, lanolin [[acid]]s and lanolin [[hydrocarbon]]s.<ref name=lanolin_book/>

An estimated 8,000 to 20,000 different types of lanolin esters are present in lanolin, resulting from combinations between the 200 or so different lanolin acids and the 100 or so different lanolin alcohols identified so far.<ref name=lanolin_book/><ref name=barnett/>

Lanolin’s complex composition of long-chain esters, hydroxyesters, diesters, lanolin alcohols, and lanolin acids means in addition to its being a valuable product in its own right, it is also the starting point for the production of a whole spectrum of lanolin derivatives, which possess wide-ranging chemical and physical properties. The main [[derivatisation]] routes include [[hydrolysis]], fractional solvent [[crystallisation]], [[esterification]], [[hydrogenation]], [[alkoxylation]] and [[Menshutkin reaction|quaternisation]].<ref name=lanolin_book/><ref name=barnett/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mw4.m-w.com/medical/quaternizing?show=0&t=1306177224|website=Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary|title=Quaternise|quote=quaternise: to convert (as an amine) into a quaternary compound|access-date=23 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315184040/http://mw4.m-w.com/medical/quaternizing?show=0&t=1306177224|archive-date=15 March 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.basf.us/businessdevelopment/bcbdevalkoxylation.html|title=Alkoxylation|publisher=BASF|quote=Reaction of ammonia or amines with [[ethylene oxide]] or [[propylene oxide]] to produce aminoalcohols. The process is also adaptable to produce specialty aminoalcohols from other epoxides.|access-date=23 May 2011|archive-date=16 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116214322/http://www2.basf.us/businessdevelopment/bcbdevalkoxylation.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Lanolin derivatives obtained from these processes are used widely in both high-value [[Cosmetics|cosmetic]]s and [[Dermatology|skin treatment]] products.

[[Hydrolysis]] of lanolin yields lanolin alcohols and lanolin acids. Lanolin alcohols are a rich source of [[cholesterol]] (an important skin lipid) and are powerful water-in-oil [[emulsifier]]s; they have been used extensively in skincare products for over 100 years.<ref name=lanolin_book/> Approximately 40% of the acids derived from lanolin are [[alpha-hydroxy acid]]s (AHAs).<ref name=lanolin_book/><ref name=barnett/> The use of AHAs in skin care products has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years.{{citation needed|date = September 2023}} Details of the AHAs isolated from lanolin can be seen in the table below.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Type of lanolic acid
! Carbon chain length
! Number identified
|-
| Alpha-hydroxy normal 
| {{chem|C|13|–C|24}}
| 12
|-
| Alpha-hydroxy iso
| {{chem|C|13|–C|23}}
| 6
|-
| Alpha-hydroxy anteiso
| {{chem|C|12|–C|24}}
| 7
|}