Synthesis of Amphoteric Surfactants via Esterification Process

This article describes the synthesis of a novel amphoteric surfactant through esterification of 2‐hydroxy‐N,N,N‐trimethylethanaminium chloride with maleic acid alkyl ester of C₈, C₁₀, and C₁₂ chain length in the presence of base. Maleic acid alkyl esters were synthesized by the reaction of maleic anhydride with alkyl alcohol. Surface‐active properties were studied by different techniques such as surface tension and foaming property. Critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) were found by using surface tension values to learn the effect of chain length on CMC of synthesized surfactants. The best result obtained has minimal coproducts, an environmentally safer route, and a very good CMC value of surfactants.     

Temperature Effect on the Phase Behavior of the Systems Water/Sucrose Laurate/Ethoxylated‐mono‐di‐glyceride/Oil

The phase behavior of the systems water/sucrose laurate/ethoxylated mono‐di‐glyceride/oil was investigated as function of temperature and the weight ratio of EMDG in the mixed surfactants. The oils were R (+)‐limonene, isopropylmyristate, and caprylic‐capric triglyceride. This study demonstrates that the phase inversion temperature (PIT) decreases and the efficiency of the mixed surfactants (γ¯) increase as the weight ratio of the EMDG in the mixed surfactants increases. R (+)‐limonene gave lower phase inversion temperatures and higher efficiencies compared to isopropylmyristate, and caprylic‐capric triglyceride. The solubilization capacity of the system water/sucrose laurate/oil increased upon the addition of ethoxylated mono‐di‐ glyceride which stabilize the surfactant layer and increase the interfacial area.     

Neem Oil As Pesticide

Use of synthetic pesticides has resulted into health hazards, ecological imbalance, resistance in pests and environmental pollution.1 Singh, R. 1997. “Studies in formulation of pesticide emulsion”. India: UDCT, University of Mumbai. , Ph.D. Thesis [Google Scholar] Neem oil is natural pesticide and has excellent insecticidal properties. Hence, attempts are being made to develop neem oil emulsions to be used as pesticide. Surfactants like castor‐oil based, nonyl phenol‐based, sodium lauryl sulphate, and calcium alkyl benzene sulphonate were tried to develop stable emulsions. Neem extract based emulsifiable concentrates were prepared by using methanol. Stability of emulsion as a function of type of surfactants, hydrophile‐lipophile balance (HLB) of surfactants and hardness of water was studied. Larvasidal effects of emulsions and emulsifiable concentrates were examined. Laboratory experiments have shown effectiveness of these emulsions and emulsifiable concentrates as pesticide.     

Interaction between β‐Cyclodextrin and Mixed Cationic‐Anionic Surfactants (2): Aggregation Behavior

The interactions between β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) and the mixtures of cationic‐anionic surfactants in the aqueous solution were investigated by surface tension, rheology, and dynamic light scattering measurements. It was shown that the key‐lock interactions between β‐CD and mixed cationic‐anionic surfactants were stronger than the electrostatic/hydrophobic interactions between cationic and anionic surfactants. The inclusion of β‐CD to surfactants could destroy the ion‐pair and aggregates of cationic‐anionic surfactants, and even inhibited the precipitation of the mixed cationic‐anionic surfactants. Furthermore, the inclusion of β‐CD to surfactants could also destroy the hydrogen bond between β‐CD molecules, inducing the disassociation of the aggregation formed by β‐CD themselves.     

DSC Investigations of DDAB,DTAB and DHAB Vesicle Aqueous Solutions in Presence of SDS

Interactions of anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) with vesicles formed by synthetic dialkyldimethylammonium bromides i.e. didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB), ditetradecyldimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), dihexadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DHAB) have been examined by using differential scanning microcalorimetry and electron transmission microscopy. The temperatures and standard enthalpies characterising gel to liquid-crystal transitions increase significantly with increase of SDS concentration for all investigated systems. It means that incorporation of SDS monomers in these vesicular bilayers significantly stabilises their gel states. Moreover, in case of DDAB and DTAB vesicle systems added SDS limits kinetic features of recorded isobaric heat capacity dependencies on temperature observed earlier for the pure vesicular solutions. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Mixed Micelles in the Presence of Macrocyclic Additives: A Host–Guest Conductometric Study

The conductances of sodium dodecylsulphate (SDS) + sodium decylsulfate (SDeS) and decyltrimethylammonium bromide (DeTAB) + tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) over the entire mole fraction range of SDS (_SDS) or DeTAB (_DeTAB) were measured in water, 18-crown-6 ether + water (CR + W) and -cyclodextrin + water (CYC + W) mixtures at fixed 4 mM and 8 mM of CR or CYC in their respective binary mixtures at 30 °C. The conductivity plots for SDS + SDeS mixtures show a single break whereas two breaks are observed at most of the _DeTAB for DeTAB + TTAB mixtures. From the break in the conductivity data, the mixed critical micellar concentration (cmc) and degree of counter-ion association () were computed. The first break corresponds to the classical cmc of TTAB is termed as the first cmc (C₁) and the second break which is observed at concentrations about 4 times the first one, corresponding to the classical cmc of DeTAB and is considered to be the second cmc (C₂). The non-ideality in SDS + SDeS mixtures has been evaluated by using the regular solution theory and it has been observed that the mixture is close to ideal in the absence and presence of additives. The variation in C₁, C₂ and ₁, ₂ for DeTAB + TTAB has been discussed in terms of the mixed micelle formation which are predominantly rich in the TTAB and DeTAB monomers respectively.     

Sorption/diffusion behaviour of anionic surfactants in polyacrylamide hydrogels: from experiment to modelling

The sorption and diffusion processes of anionic surfactants with different chain length through polyacrylamide hydrogels with low swelling degree have been studied by electrical conductivity measurements. The multicomponent equilibrium equation has been used to model the sorption isotherms of different anionic surfactant in the hydrogels. Such isotherms show that initial rapid sorption of unimer surfactant into the membranes occurs, suggesting that non-freezing water can be involved in these interactions. In aqueous solution, at concentrations near and above the critical micelle concentration an anti-co-operative region is found. The diffusion coefficients of the anionic surfactants inside the hydrogel matrix show that the mobility of diffusing surfactant entities is dependent on cross-linker concentration and chain length. The Cukier hydrodynamic model and the free volume theory as modified by Peppas and Reinhart were applied to explain the dependence of the diffusion coefficients of surfactant on surfactant concentration inside the hydrogel. The hydrodynamic model was applied with success to the more hydrophilic surfactant, sodium 1-octanesulfonate, showing that the diffusion coefficients, D, increase when the resistance to hydrodynamic medium decreases; when the surfactant chain length increases (sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium 1-hexadecane sulphonate) the variation of D with the free volume can only be understood considering the sieving effect produced by the surfactant inside gel.     

Application of a chemical equilibrium model to thermodynamic functions of transfer of alcohols from water to aqueous surfactants

In ternary aqueous solutions, hydrophobic solutes such as alcohols tend to aggregate with surfactants to form mixed micelles. These systems can be studied by meas of the functions of transfer of hydrophobic solutes from water to aqueous solutions of surfactant. These thermodynamic functions often go through extrema in the critical micellar concentration (CMC) region of the surfactant. A simple model based on interactions between surfactant and hydrophobic solute monomers, on the distribution of the hydrophobic solute between water and the micelles and on the shift in the CMC induced by the hydrophobic solute, can simulate the magnitude and trends of the transfer functions using parameters which are mostly derived from the binary systems. In order to check the model more quantitatively, volumes and heat capacities of transfer of alcohols from water to aqueous solutions of a nonionic surfactant, octyldimethylamine oxide, were measured. A quantitative agreement was achieved with three adjustable parameters. Good fits are also obtained for the transfers to the ionic surfactants, octylamine hydrobromide and sodium dodecylsulfate. When the equilibrium displacement contribution is small, the distribution constants and the partial molar properties of the alcohols in the micellar phase agree well with the parameters obtained with similar models.     

Intercalation and exchange reactions of clay minerals and non-clay layer compounds

Presently, a large variety of layered materials are synthesized that are able to intercalate neutral guest molecules or to exchange inorganic and organic ions for interlayer ions. Several of these materials are also found as minerals.The intracrystalline reactivity of a few selected compounds will be described and compared to clay minerals: