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The relationship of structure to properties in surfactants
Author(s) -
Rosen Milton J.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
journal of the american oil chemists' society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.512
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1558-9331
pISSN - 0003-021X
DOI - 10.1007/bf02637577
Subject(s) - pulmonary surfactant , wetting , degree of unsaturation , surface tension , chemical engineering , micelle , branching (polymer chemistry) , ionic bonding , molecule , dispersion (optics) , materials science , chemistry , hydrophobic effect , chemical physics , polymer chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material , aqueous solution , thermodynamics , ion , physics , optics , engineering
Changes in the various structural units present in surfactants strongly affect the interfacial properties shown by these materials. Such properties as surface tension reduction, micelle formation, wetting, foaming and defoaming, detergency, and dispersion of solids all show marked changes with variations in both the hydrophilic and hydrophobic portions of the surfactant molecule, reflecting the processes occurring on a molecular level. Changes in these properties caused by such factors as the length and nature of the hydrophobic group, branching or unsaturation in the hydrophobic group, the nature of the hydrophilic group and its position in the molecule, and the presence or absence of an ionic charge are described and explained in terms of the molecular processes involved.