Executive Director Osaka Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, Japan
We have been investigating the preparation and properties of a series of acid- and alkali-cleavable surfactants which are designed to decompose into non-surface active species under mild conditions after fulfilling their original functions such as emulsification, solubilization, micellar catalytic activity, and so on. The decomposition properties can be controlled through adjustment of the solution’s pH. Low molecular-weight gelator is also attractive materials. In this work, amide types of chemocleavable surfactants bearing a 1,3-dioxolane ring were prepared by acid-catalyzed condensation of diethyl tartrate with fatty ketones or fatty aldehydes, followed by a reaction with amine without any expensive reagents or special equipment. We confirmed that they have good surface-active properties. Their detergency on artificially soiled cotton cloth was better than the reference detergent in hard water according to the Japan Industrial Standard Method. The reference detergent consisted of sodium n-dodecylbenzenesulfonate, which is a popular component in commercial detergents. The viscosity of the toluene solution containing the surfactant were higher than blank solvents.
