WHAT ARE SURFACTANTS AND HOW DO THEY WORK?
Surfactants are some of the most versatile products in the chemical industry. They are used in every industry, from household detergents to drilling mud, from food to pharmaceuticals. Basics of surfactants Surfactants are amphiphilic molecules with hydrophobic and hydrophilic parts. The hydrophobic tails are hydrocarbons, fluorocarbons or siloxanes. Surfactants are usually classified according to their polar heads, since the hydrophobic tails are usually similar. If the head group has no charge, the surfactant is referred to as a Nonionic Surfactant . If the head group has a negative or positive charge, it is referred to as anionic or cationic, respectively. If it contains both positive and negative charges, the surfactant is called amphoteric. Anionic Surfactants By far, nonionic and Anionic Surfactants are the most used surfactant types in industry. Anionic surfactants are particularly suitable for cleaning products such as laundry detergents and shampoos. On the other hand, n