The Development History of Surfactants

Jul 9, 2021

Surfactant refers to a substance that can significantly reduce the surface tension of the target solution. It has fixed hydrophilic and lipophilic groups, which can be aligned on the surface of the solution. The molecular structure of surfactants is amphiphilic: one end is a hydrophilic group, the other end is a hydrophobic group; the hydrophilic group is often a polar group, such as carboxylic acid, sulfonic acid, sulfuric acid, amino or amine groups and their salts , Hydroxyl group, amide group, ether bond, etc. can also be used as polar hydrophilic groups; while hydrophobic groups are often non-polar hydrocarbon chains, such as hydrocarbon chains with more than 8 carbon atoms. Surfactants are divided into ionic surfactants (including cationic surfactants and anionic surfactants), nonionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, compound surfactants, and other surfactants.
Surfactant refers to a substance that can significantly change the interface state of the solution system by adding a small amount. It has fixed hydrophilic and lipophilic groups, which can be aligned on the surface of the solution. The molecular structure of surfactants is amphiphilic: one end is a hydrophilic group, the other end is a hydrophobic group; the hydrophilic group is often a polar group, such as carboxylic acid, sulfonic acid, sulfuric acid, amino or amine group and Its salts, hydroxyl groups, amide groups, ether bonds, etc. can also be used as polar hydrophilic groups; while the hydrophobic groups are often non-polar hydrocarbon chains, such as hydrocarbon chains with more than 8 carbon atoms. Surfactants are divided into ionic surfactants (including cationic surfactants and anionic surfactants), nonionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, compound surfactants, and other surfactants.

Origin history edit Voice
① From 2500 BC to 1850, mutton oil and plant ash made soap
Lanolin-tricarboxylic acid ester is abbreviated as triglyceride, after alkali hydrolysis → carboxylate + monoglyceride + diglyceride + glycerin
Mid 19th century
On the one hand, soap began to realize large-scale industrial production, on the other hand, chemically synthesized surfactants also appeared.
②The appearance of Turkish red oil:
Turkish red oil is the product of the reaction of castor oil and sulfuric acid. Castor oil is the triglyceride of ricinoleic acid, deeply sulfonated, acid and hard water resistance
③In the early 19th century, detergents were prepared from mineral raw materials
The development of the petroleum industry → petroleum sulfuric acid (green oil). The sulfonated mixture of wax and tea, dissolved in acid, has a greenish-black color, and is made by neutralizing with alkali. Petroleum sulfonic acid soap has good water solubility and is called green sodium (the first detergent made from mineral raw materials). During the First World War, grease appeared, coal production → coal chemical industry development → short-chain alkyl and naphthalenesulfonate surfactants, such as propyl naphthalenesulfonate and butyl naphthalenesulfonate
1920-1930 Fatty alcohol su lfation → alkyl sulfate. In the 1930s, long-chain alkyl groups and phenyl groups appeared in the United States. After the First World War, Germany developed glycol derivatives, such as polyethylene glycol derivatives. Polyethylene glycol was combined with various organic compounds (including alcohols, acids, esters, amines, amides), etc. A non-ionic surfactant with excellent performance.

Surfactants and synthetic detergents formed an industry that dates back to the 1930s. Synthetic surfactants and detergents derived from petrochemical raw materials broke the dominance of soap. After more than 60 years of development, the world's total detergent output reached 43 million tons in 1995, of which 9 million tons of soap. Experts predict that the world's population will double from 2000 to 2050, and the total amount of detergent will increase from 50 million tons to 120 million tons, a net increase of 1.4 cultures. This is an encouraging number.
China's surfactant and synthetic detergent industry started in the 1950s. Although it started late, it has developed rapidly. In 1995, the total amount of detergents reached 3.1 million tons, second only to the United States, ranking second in the world. The production of synthetic detergents rose from 400,000 tons in 1980 to 2.3 million tons in 1995, a net increase of 4.7 times, and an average annual growth rate of more than 10%. According to China's authoritative department's forecast, the total amount of detergents in 2000 will reach 3.6 million tons, of which synthetic detergents will reach 655,000 tons. Among them, the types of surfactants with an output exceeding 10,000 tons include: linear alkyl benzene sulfonate (LAS), fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether sodium sulfate (AES), fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether ammonium sulfate (AESA), laurel Sodium alcohol sulfate (SDS), lauroyl glutamic acid, nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (TX-10), Ping Ping O, stearic acid monoglyceride, lignin sulfonate, heavy alkyl benzene sulfonate , Alkyl sulfonate (petroleum sulfonate), diffusing agent NNO, diffusing agent MF, alkyl polyether (PO-EO copolymer), fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO-3), etc.

Definition editing Voice
Any substance that can significantly reduce the surface energy of water when dissolved in water is called a surface active agent (SAA) or surface active substance.
Traditionally, it is believed that surfactants are a class of substances that can significantly reduce surface (interface) tension even at very low concentrations. With the in-depth research on surfactants, it is generally believed that as long as the surface (interface) properties or related properties derived from them can be significantly changed at lower concentrations, they can be classified as surfactants.
Surfactants are natural, such as phospholipids, choline, protein, etc., but more are artificially synthesized, such as sodium octadecyl sulfate C18H37SO4Na, sodium stearate C17H35COONa, etc. [1]. A wide range of surfactants (cationic, anionic, nonionic and amphoteric) provide multiple functions for specific applications, including foaming effects, surface modification, cleaning, emulsions, rheology, environmental and health protection.