Surfactant

Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Surfactant shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Surfactant offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Surfactant at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Surfactant? Wrong! If the Surfactant is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Surfactant then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Surfactant? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Surfactant and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Surfactant wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Surfactant then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Surfactant site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Surfactant, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Surfactant, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

This article is about surfactants in general. For the compound produced by alveolar cells, see pulmonary surfactant.

Surfactants, also known as tensides, are wetting agents that lower the surface tension of a liquid, allowing easier spreading, and lower the interfacial tension between two liquids.

Etymology The term surfactant is a Blend (linguistics) of "surface active agent". Surfactants are usually organic compounds that are amphiphilic, meaning they contain both hydrophobic groups (their "tails") and hydrophilic groups (their "heads"). Therefore, they are soluble in both organic solvents and water. The term surfactant was coined by Antara Products in 1950.

In Index Medicus and the United States National Library of Medicine, "surfactant" is reserved for the meaning pulmonary surfactant (see "alveoli" link below). For the more general meaning, "surface active agent" is the heading.

The most common, biological example of surfactant is that coating the surfaces of the Alveoli, the small air sacs of the lungs that serve as the site of gas exchange.

Operation and effects ends of the surfactant molecules dissolve in the oil, while the hydrophilic charged ends remain outside, shielding the rest of the hydrophobic micelleSurfactants reduce the surface tension of water by adsorption at the liquid-gas interface. They also reduce the interfacial tension between oil and water by adsorbing at the liquid-liquid interface. Many surfactants can also assemble in the bulk solution into wiktionary:Aggregate#2s. Some of these aggregates are known as micelles. The concentration at which surfactants begin to form micelles is known as the critical micelle concentration or CMC. When micelles form in water, their tails form a core that can encapsulate an oil droplet, and their (ionic/polar) heads form an outer shell that maintains favorable contact with water. When surfactants assemble in oil, the aggregate is referred to as a reverse micelle. In a reverse micelle, the heads are in the core and the tails maintain favorable contact with oil.

Surfactants are also often classified into four primary groups; anionic, cationic, non-ionic, and zwitterionic (dual charge).

Thermodynamics of the surfactant systems are of great importance, theoretically and practically. This is because surfactant systems represent systems between ordered and disordered states of matter. Surfactant solutions may contain an ordered phase (micelles) and a disordered phase (free surfactant molecules and/or ions in the solution).

Ordinary washing up (dishwashing) detergent, for example, will promote water penetration in soil, but the effect would only last a few days (although many standard laundry detergent powders contain levels of chemicals such as sodium and boron, which can be damaging to plants, so these should not be applied to soils). Commercial soil wetting agents will continue to work for a considerable period, but they will eventually be degraded by soil micro-organisms. Some can, however, interfere with the life-cycles of some aquatic organisms, so care should be taken to prevent run-off of these products into streams, and excess product should not be washed down gutters.

Applications and sources Surfactants play an important role in many practical applications and products, including:

Detergents
Fabric softener
Emulsifiers
Paints
Adhesives
Inks
Anti-fogging
Soil remediation
Wetting
Ski Wax
Snowboard Wax
Foaming
Defoaming
Laxatives
Agrochemical formulations

Herbicides
Insecticides

Quantum dot coating
Biocides (Sanitizers)
Hair Conditioners (after shampoo)
Spermicide (Nonoxynol 9)
Used as an additive in 2.5 gallon fire extinguishers

Surfactants are also naturally secreted by type II cells of the lung alveoli in mammals.

Classification A surfactant can be classified by the presence of formally charged groups in its head. A nonionic surfactant has no charge groups in its head. The head of an ionic surfactant carries a net charge. If the charge is negative, the surfactant is more specifically called anionic; if the charge is positive, it is called cationic. If a surfactant contains a head with two oppositely charged groups, it is termed zwitterion.

Some commonly encountered surfactants of each type include:

Ionic

Anionic (based on sulfuric acid, sulfonic acid or carboxylic acid anions)

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), ammonium lauryl sulfate, and other alkyl sulfate salts
Sodium laureth sulfate, also known as sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES)
Alkyl benzene sulfonate
Soaps, or fatty acid salts

Cationic (based on quaternary ammonium cations)

Cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) a.k.a. hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, and other alkyltrimethylammonium salts
Cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC)
Polyethoxylated tallow amine (POEA)
Benzalkonium chloride (BAC)
Benzethonium chloride (BZT)

Zwitterionic (amphoteric)

Dodecyl betaine
Dodecyl dimethylamine oxide
Cocamidopropyl betaine
Coco ampho glycinate

Nonionic

Alkyl poly(ethylene oxide)
Copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(propylene oxide) (commercially called Poloxamers or Poloxamines)
Alkyl polyglucosides, including:

Octyl glucoside
Decyl maltoside

Fatty alcohols

Cocamide MEA, cocamide DEA, cocamide TEA