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Effect of alkyl carbon chain length and ethylene oxide content on the performance of linear alcohol ethoxylates
Author(s) -
Cox Michael F.
Publication year - 1989
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/bf02653293
Subject(s) - ethylene oxide , wetting , pulmonary surfactant , carbon chain , alkyl , chemical engineering , materials science , carbon fibers , alcohol , viscosity , ethylene , surface tension , fatty alcohol , carbon number , oxide , chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material , thermodynamics , polymer , catalysis , physics , composite number , engineering , copolymer
A grid of 30 surfactants varying from C 8 to C 18 in carbon chain length and from 40 to 80% in ethylene oxide (EO) content were examined to determine the effect of molecular structure on the physical properties (density, melting point, solution viscosity) and performance properties (surface activity, detergency, hard‐surface cleaning, foaming, wetting) of linear alcohol ethoxylates. Results show that while physical propeties are influenced primarily by EO content, both carbon chain length and EO content are important to performance. Optimum carbon chain length is also shown to depend strongly on surfactant concentration.