Nonsolvent quantitation of anionic surfactants and other inorganic ingredients in laundry detergent products by X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry

This paper reports the development of a method for measuring alkyl‐benzene sulfonates, alkyl sulfates, and other inorganic ingredients in laundry detergent products without requiring the use of chlorinated organic solvents such as chloroform. Zeolite is first filtered as a residue on filter paper from an aqueous detergent solution. A calcium solution is then added to the filtrate. Alkyl‐benzene sulfonates, alkyl sulfates, and phosphate are precipitated as calcium salts and recovered as residues via filtration. The filters are then subjected to X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) for measuring the levels of zeolite, phosphate, and total anionic surfactant. The remaining filtrate is also subjected to XRF by using the microdroplet preparation for measuring levels of sulfate and silicate. Separately, the level of alkyl‐benzene sulfonates is measured following the same XRF procedure after alkyl sulfates are hydrolyzed using an autoclave. This sample preparation procedure was investigated using XRF and was confirmed to be applicable for simultaneous measurements of alkyl‐benzene sulfonates, alkyl sulfates, zeolite, phosphate, silicate, and sulfate without using any organic solvents. In the method described in this paper, interelement effects between anionic surfactants and phosphate are not negligible. Fluorescent X‐rays of sulfur or phosphorus are absorbed by calcium complexes of phosphate or anionic surfactants. The slope of calibration curves varies with the levels of coexistent elements; external calibration methods cannot be employed for unknown sample matrices. However, for quality assurance purposes, this method is ideal in terms of turnaround time and laboratory hygiene.