Sodium laureth sulfate

Sodium laureth sulfate
Names
	IUPAC name α-Sulfo-ω-(dodecyloxy)-poly(oxyethane-1,2-diyl), sodium salt
	Other names Sodium lauryl ether sulfate; Sodium laureth sulphate; Sodium dodecyl polyoxyethylene sulfate; Sodium lauryl polyoxyethylene sulfate; Sodium lauryl polyoxyethylene ether sulfate; Sodium lauryl dioxyethylene sulfate; Sodium lauryl trioxyethylene sulfate; Sodium laureth-2 sulfate; Sodium laureth-3 sulfate
Identifiers
CAS Number	sodium laureth-2 sulfate: 3088-31-1 ; sodium laureth-3 sulfate: 13150-00-0 ; sodium laureth-5 sulfate: 9004-82-4 ;
Abbreviations	SLES
ChemSpider	sodium laureth-2 sulfate: none;
ECHA InfoCard	100.036.281
PubChem CID	23665884 (sodium 2-dodecoxyethyl sulfate);
UNII	sodium laureth-2 sulfate: ZZQ59TY3KG ; sodium laureth-3 sulfate: BPV390UAP0 ; sodium laureth-5 sulfate: 410Q7WN1BX ;
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	sodium laureth-2 sulfate: DTXSID2029298 DTXSID70274019, DTXSID2029298 ;
Properties
Chemical formula	CH3(CH2)11(OCH2CH2)nOSO3Na
Molar mass	Variable; typically around 421 g/mol; (288.38 + 44.05n) g/mol
Hazards
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)	2 1 0
	Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). verify (what is ?) Infobox references

Sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES), usually contracted as sodium laureth sulfate, and also called sodium alkylethersulfate, is an anionic detergent and surfactant found in many personal care products (soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, etc.) and for industrial uses. SLES is an inexpensive and very effective foaming agent. SLES, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS), and sodium pareth sulfate are surfactants that are used in many cosmetic products for their cleaning and emulsifying properties. It is derived from palm kernel oil or coconut oil. In herbicides, it is used as a surfactant to improve absorption of the herbicidal chemicals and reduces time the product takes to be rainfast, when enough of the herbicidal agent will be absorbed.

The chemical formula for this family of surfactants is C H₃(CH₂)₁₁(OCH₂CH₂)_nOSO₃Na. Sometimes the number represented by n is specified in the name, for example laureth-2 sulfate. The product is however heterogeneous in that the number of ethoxyl groups, where n is the mean. Laureth-3 sulfate is the most common one in commercial products. Compared to the parent sodium lauryl sulfate (C H₃(CH₂)₁₁O SO₃Na), SLES is more surface-active owing to the presence of the ethoxy groups.