Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose CAS# 9004-65-3

✅ High Water Solubility
Completely miscible with water, widely adopted for food & pharmaceutical manufacturing.
✅ Temperature Sensitive Sol-Gel Switch
Reversible liquid-gel conversion via heating & cooling for special customized applications.
✅ Film-Forming Surfactant Function
Creates compact dry films, well-suited for coatings, adhesives and slow-release materials.
✅ Safe & Stable Formula
Long-term stability at ambient conditions, low toxicity, compatible with various formulations.

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, commonly abbreviated as HPMC, belongs to the broad family of cellulose ethers and is chemically modified based on methyl cellulose.

Structurally, both methyl and hydroxypropyl substituents are bonded to the anhydrous glucose rings of the natural cellulose backbone via ether linkages.

Physically, this product is presented as fine white to pale off-white fibrous powder or small granular particles.

Diverse grades of HPMC are commercially available, differentiated mainly by the varied proportion of methoxy groups and hydroxypropyl groups incorporated during the etherification reaction. The difference in substituent ratios directly tailors each grade’s viscosity, solubility, thermal gelation and other core functional properties to fit distinct industrial application demands.

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC) boasts favorable solubility performance: it can be fully dissolved in water as well as a selection of organic solvents, yet it remains completely insoluble in pure ethanol.

Once dissolved in aqueous solutions, HPMC displays prominent surfactant activity. After solvent evaporation and drying, it will form a uniform, cohesive protective film on material surfaces.

Moreover, this material features a distinctive thermo-reversible sol-gel transition property. It shifts between liquid sol state and solid gel state reversibly as temperature rises and falls. Owing to this exclusive temperature-sensitive trait, HPMC is widely applicable across numerous scenarios demanding adjustable thermal responsiveness.

Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose Chemical Properties

Melting point	225-230 °C
density	1.39
storage temp.	room temp
solubility	H2O: 50 mg/mL, clear to very faintly turbid, faintly yellow
form	powder
color	White to cream
Odor	Odorless
PH	5.0-8.0
biological source	plant
Water Solubility	SOLUBLE
Merck	14,4842
Stability:	Stable. Solid is combustible, incompatible with strong oxidizing agents.
EPA Substance Registry System	2-Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (9004-65-3)