Page 39 - Course Guide 2019

The HLB values of oil, fat and wax are as follows. This list is not exhaustive. There are many
more oily-based that are not being included in this table. The HLB values can be obtained
from many reference books and journal articles.

Name (commercial) HLB value (oil-in-water Physical appearance
emulsion)
Beeswax 8.0
Benzene 15.0
Carnauba wax 15.0
Castor oil 14.0
Cetyl alcohol 15.0
Cocoa butter 6.0
Corn oil 10.0
Cottonseed oil 5.0 – 6.0
Cyclohexane 15.0
Jojoba oil 6.0 – 7.0
Lanolin anhydrous 9.0
Oleic acid 17.0
Palm oil 10.0
Paraffin, hard 10-11
Paraffin, liquid 12.0
Paraffin, soft 12.0
Paraffin, wax 10.0
Petrolatum 7.0 – 8.0
Pine oil 16.0
Rapeseed oil 6.0
Soybean oil 6.0
Stearic acid 15.0-16.0
Steril alcohol 14.0
Toluene 15.0
Wool fat 10.0
Xylene 14.0

9.4 CAPSULES
Capsules are formed by medications enclosed in either hard or soft shells, composed mainly
of gelatin (animal or plant source). They are convenient for administering medications with
unpleasant taste and are used mainly for adult patients.

Capsules have different sizes and shapes. For hard-gelatine capsules, the shapes are usually
cylindrical with hemispherical ends and they usually have different sizes as below:
Capsules no. 000 00 0 1 2 3 4 5
Content (mg) 950 650 450 300 250 200 150 100

In capsule formulation, inert powder diluent may be needed. Examples of inert powder are
magnesium carbonate (light), magnesium oxide (light), lactose, kaolin and starch.