Hypromellose

Hypromellose

Names
Other names Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose; hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose; HPMC; E464
Identifiers
CAS Number	9004-65-3 Y
ChemSpider	21241863 Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.115.379
E number	E464 (thickeners, ...)
UNII	36SFW2JZ0W Y
InChI InChI=1S/C36H70O19.C20H38O11/c1-19(37)9-45-17-27-29(47-11-21(3)39)31(48-12-22(4)40)34(51-15-25(7)43)36(54-27)55-30-28(18-46-10-20(2)38)53-35(52-16-26(8)44)33(50-14-24(6)42)32(30)49-13-23(5)41;1-21-9-11-13(23-3)15(24-4)18(27-7)20(30-11)31-14-12(10-22-2)29-19(28-8)17(26-6)16(14)25-5/h19-44H,9-18H2,1-8H3;11-20H,9-10H2,1-8H3/t19?,20?,21?,22?,23?,24?,25?,26?,27-,28-,29-,30-,31+,32+,33-,34-,35-,36+;11-,12-,13-,14-,15+,16+,17-,18-,19-,20+/m11/s1 Y Key: PUSNGFYSTWMJSK-GSZQVNRLSA-N Y InChI=1/C36H70O19.C20H38O11/c1-19(37)9-45-17-27-29(47-11-21(3)39)31(48-12-22(4)40)34(51-15-25(7)43)36(54-27)55-30-28(18-46-10-20(2)38)53-35(52-16-26(8)44)33(50-14-24(6)42)32(30)49-13-23(5)41;1-21-9-11-13(23-3)15(24-4)18(27-7)20(30-11)31-14-12(10-22-2)29-19(28-8)17(26-6)16(14)25-5/h19-44H,9-18H2,1-8H3;11-20H,9-10H2,1-8H3/t19?,20?,21?,22?,23?,24?,25?,26?,27-,28-,29-,30-,31+,32+,33-,34-,35-,36+;11-,12-,13-,14-,15+,16+,17-,18-,19-,20+/m11/s1 Key: PUSNGFYSTWMJSK-GSZQVNRLBE
Properties
Chemical formula	variable
Molar mass	variable
Pharmacology
ATC code	S01KA02 (WHO)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Y  (what is YN ?)
Infobox references

Hypromellose (INN), short for hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), is a semisynthetic, inert, viscoelastic polymer used as eye drops, as well as an excipient and controlled-delivery component in oral medicaments, found in a variety of commercial products.

As a food additive, hypromellose is an emulsifier, thickening and suspending agent, and an alternative to animal gelatin. Its Codex Alimentarius code (E number) is E464.

Hypromellose is a solid, and is a slightly off-white to beige powder in appearance and may be formed into granules. The compound forms colloids when dissolved in water. This non-toxic ingredient is combustible and can react vigorously with oxidising agents.

Hypromellose in an aqueous solution, unlike methylcellulose, exhibits a thermal gelation property. That is, when the solution heats up to a critical temperature, the solution congeals into a non-flowable but semi-flexible mass. Typically, this critical (congealing) temperature is inversely related to both the solution concentration of HPMC and the concentration of the methoxy group within the HPMC molecule (which in turn depends on both the degree of substitution of the methoxy group and the molar substitution. That is, the higher the concentration of the methoxy group, the lower the critical temperature. The inflexibility/viscosity of the resulting mass, however, is directly related to the concentration of the methoxy group (the higher the concentration, the more viscous or less flexible the resulting mass is).

There are many fields of application for hypromellose, including: