Synthesis and Evaluation of Ecofriendly Nontoxic Cleaning Agents

In order to reduce toxicity on the human body, four new cleaning agents (1-4) containing ester and ether functionalities have been invented. The synthesized cleaning agents's physical properties, biodegradabilities, and LD50 values, which were con- ducted by Korea Testing Certification Institute by using standard method, showed excellent values. A specimen for cleaning ability was prepared by cutting in 60 × 40 mm size of stainless steel plate. The surface of the above specimens was treated with four different kinds of contaminants, such as cutting oil, anti-rust oil, drawing oil, and lubricating oil. Contaminated specimens were then immersed in compounds (1-4) for 1 to 5 minutes to dissolve oil in the cleaning agent. The data indicate that all compounds (1-4) exhibit good cleaning ability toward four contaminant oils. It is also confirmed that these compounds can be applicable to various industrial cleaning fields as nontoxic and biodegradable cleaning agents because of their excellent biodegradabilities and LD50 values.