Surfactants Detergents And Sequestrants

This 2000 book provides an introduction to the nature, occurrence, physical properties, propagation, and uses of surfactants in the petroleum industry.

Authors from Akzo, Sherex, and Ethyl chemical companies present a comprehensive review of cationic surfactants, emphasizing the organic chemistry aspects. They discuss the preparation, properties, availability, and commercial uses of a wide range of these materials, including aromatic and cyclic var

In to days market, custom formulated surfactants are offered for a wide range of applications. The need for surfactants in detergents, cleaning agents, cosmetics & toiletries is second only to an expanding demand in industrial applications. But even within the non-industrial areas the demands have undergone significant changes in recent years. For example, washing and cleaning temperatures have substantially decreased with increased energy conservation attitudes, and more stringent regulatory requirements in the area of ecology and toxicology are leading to new product profiles. New manufacturing technologies and an increased utilization of natural raw materials also factor into this continuing evolution. These changes and trends have been described in numerous publications. However, a summary and survey of these developments is currently missing. The book presented here "Surfactants in Consumer Products" is intended to close this gap. The editor and authors dedicate this work to Dr. Dr. h.c. Konrad Henkel on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Dr. Henkel, himself a scientist and industrialist, contributed signifi cantly to developments in the surfactant field. In the nineteen-fifties, he initiated the change from soap based detergents to synthetic detergents within Henkel. At the same time, dishwashing detergents utilizing various synthetic surfactants were also developed, and became the basis for modem manual and mechanical dishwashing.

"Two common terms used to describe surface-active materials are amphiphiles and surfactants. The term amphiphile is derived from Greek-amphis meaning "both" and philia meaning "love or friendship." An amphiphilic chemical is a chemical whose molecular structure has one or more hydrophilic groups and one or more hydrophobic groups. Another Greek-derived synonymic term used to describe amphiphilic chemicals is amphipathic (amphis meaning "both" and pátheia meaning "feeling"). Because all surfactants possess hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups, they are termed as amphiphilic or amphipathic compounds. The term surfactant, a contraction of surface-active agent, implies the material is active at surfaces. Surfactants have the tendency to adsorb at surfaces as well as interfaces. The difference between surfaces and interfaces is that surfaces involve a gas, usually air, as one of the phases, and the interfaces are boundaries between two immiscible phases. Five interfaces are possible from three common states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas)"--