Other than ammonia, alkanolamines play an important role as the primary evaporative neutralizing agents used in waterborne coatings. The adjustment of pH in waterborne coatings is important in order to maintain a stable pigment dispersion, minimize corrosion, reduce biological growth and generally optimize the performance of the coating during storage and application. After application of the wet coating, the pH-adjusting agent must, at least partially, evaporate from the film in order to promote the coalescence of the resin binders via a decrease in pH. Alkanolamines are ideal pH-neutralizing agents in a number of ways, including compatibility with latex emulsions, solubility in latex emulsions, a sufficiently high pKa value to allow for efficient neutralization to pH values between 8 and 10, and intermediate vapor pressures that allow for evaporation at a controlled rate.he optimum alkanolamine for a given coating formulation will be the one with the best balance of physical properties, allowing for the maximum number of benefits and the minimum number of negative side effects.