Brownish-yellow liquid. Soluble in
ether, chloroform, and fixed or volatile oils; slightly
soluble in alcohol.
Medicine (counterirritant, cathartic).
Croton Oil is a natural source of phorbol, phorbol esters and glycerides of saturated fatty acids. Croton seeds are sometimes applied directly to the skin for muscle and joint pain. The main use for croton oil today is as an active ingredient in phenol-based facial peels. Dermatologists, plastic surgeons and other practitioners can vary the amount of croton oil in the peel to customize the treatment for a particular patient or skin area, such as on the neck or around the eyes. In Malaysia, people use croton oil in lamps and in soap.
Croton oil has been used to induce acute skin inflammation.
Extractives and their physically modified derivatives. Croton tiglium, Euphorbiaceae.
Colorless liquid with an unpleasant odor. Less dense than water and insoluble in water. Hence floats on water. A mixture of esters (the glycerides of stearic, palmitic myristic, lauric and oleic acids) and croton resin. Toxic and a strong skin irritant.
OILS, MISCELLANEOUS: CROTON react with acids to liberate heat. Heat is also generated by interaction with caustic solutions. Strong oxidizing acids may cause a vigorous reaction that is sufficiently exothermic to ignite the reaction products. Flammable hydrogen is generated by mixing with alkali metals and hydrides.
Strong skin irritant, ingestion of small
amounts may be fatal.
CROTON OIL is probably combustible.
