What makes Pine-Sol cleaners water soluble?

[NeoPTLD]

Pine sole is a viscous, transparent amber liquid containing approximately 10% pine oil. It is soluble in water.

Pine oil is like any oil and insoluble in water.

What allows pine oil to be in solution in pine-sol rather than an emulsion and why does the final product dissolve in water?

 

[bobsmith1492]

Probably just emulsifiers?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emulsion

 

[Gibsons]

Probably just emulsifiers?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emulsion

Then it wouldn't be clear.

Here's the MSDS
http://www.thecloroxcompany.com/products/msds/commercialsolutions/cspine-solbrandcleaner.pdf

Probably due to the isopropyl alcohol. Soluble in water and oils. And the Alkyl alcohol ethoxylates, whatever those are.

 

[CycloWizard]

As Gibsons said, the alcohols will behave as surfactants to improve the solubility.

 

[NeoPTLD]

As Gibsons said, the alcohols will behave as surfactants to improve the solubility.

There's so little alcohol that I doubt it makes any difference. Isopropyl is pretty similar in solvency to ethanol. At such a small amount, I can't see it making much difference. You don't find salad oil much more soluble in beer (5-7% alc) vs water.

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Another vote for "it's probably the propan-2-ol", acting as a cosolvent. It's quite a common cosolvent because it is cheap.

The conversion of free fatty acids to ethoxylates (or the use of ethoxylates) will also enhance solubility.

 

[MadScientist]

It's the combination of isopropanol (2-propanol) and the non-ionic surfactants, alkyl alcohol ethoxylates. Possibly lauryl alcohol ethoxylates, the same ones found in most shampoos, but don't wash your hair with Pine-Sol.
If you would like to read more about it here's a patent on Stable Liquid Cleaners containing Pine Oil: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5866534.pdf