Solubilization of Benzyl Acetate by Polysorbate 80: A Thin Layer Chromatography Study

In today’s society, we are exposed to many chemicals, either natural or synthetic, which can cause allergic reactions on the skin. To investigate the solubilization of benzyl acetate, which can cause allergic reactions in high concentrations, we decided to use Polysorbate 80 owing to its availability, cost-effectiveness, and versatile applicability as a surfactant. In this paper, we tested two methods: one is to observe the minimum amount of Polysorbate 80 required to fully dissolve different concentrations of benzyl acetate in an aqueous solution. The other experiment was conducted to study the interaction between Polysorbate 80 and benzyl acetate using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and spotting trials. Polysorbate 80’s durability is exemplified by how difficult it is to separate mixtures that contain benzyl acetate. In two different experiments, the amount of Polysorbate 80 and the different ratios of heptane and ethyl acetate (EA) were tested. The results indicated strong intermolecular interactions between Polysorbate 80 and benzyl acetate. It was concluded that increasing the amount of Polysorbate 80 led to increased intermolecular interaction. Through the experimentation process, it was discovered that Polysorbate 80 is a strong surfactant, retaining benzyl acetate in solution. Moreover, it was concluded that the higher the ratio of heptane to ethyl acetate (EA), the lower Rf value of benzyl acetate.