5421-46-5

General Description

Colorless to faint pink liquid with a repulsive, skunk-like odor.

Air & Water Reactions

Water soluble.

Reactivity Profile

Ammonium thioglycolate may be sensitive to heat. Ammonium thioglycolate is incompatible with acids.

Fire Hazard

Flash point data for Ammonium thioglycolate are not available. Ammonium thioglycolate is combustible.

Flammability and Explosibility

Notclassified

Contact allergens

This substance is contained in “basic” permanent waves solutions and causes contact dermatitis in hairdressers.

Safety Profile

Poison by intravenous and intraperitoneal routes. An allergen; can cause contact dermatitis. Emits hydrogen sulfide. See also SULFIDES. When heated to decomposition it emits very toxic NOx, SOx, and NH3.

Chemical concepts related to perms

When discussing the chemistry of perms, one should consider two chemical facts. First is the thiol-disulfide equilibrium: RSH + R'SSR' ? R'SH + RSSR' where R and R' are organic substituents such as methyl (-CH3), ethyl (-C2H5), or -CH2COO-. The thiol-disulfide exchange reaction is accelerated by bases such as ammonia, because the base generates some thiolate anion (RS- ), which attacks the disulfide. Thus the ammonia plays multiple roles (and more, see below) in this application. The second chemical fact is that polar molecules are less volatile than nonpolar ones. So the glycolate substituent makes the thiol nonvolatile and hence non-odorous. An added advantage is that the glycolate confers some solubility in water. One could almost certainly use HSCH3 and ammonia to give a perm, but there would be serious olfactory consequences.

The actual chemistry of perms

A solution containing ammonium thioglycolate contains a lot of free ammonia, which swells hair, rendering it permeable. The thioglycolic acid in the perm solution reduces the disulfide cystine bonds in the cortex of the hair. In a sense, the thioglycolate removes crosslinks. After washing, the hair is treated with a mild solution of hydrogen peroxide, which oxidizes the cysteines back to cystine. These new chemical bonds impart the structural rigidity necessary for a successful perm. The rigidification process is akin to the vulcanization of rubber, where commonly polysulfide linkages are used to crosslink the polymer chains. However, not as many disulfide bonds are reformed as there were before the permanent. As a result, the hair is weaker than before the permanent was applied and repeated applications over the same spot may eventually cause strand breakage.