Preparation and Surface Activities of Modified Double‐Tailed Anionic Surfactants

Abstract

AbstractWe prepared a series of modified double‐tailed surfactants containing two identical nonionic moieties and an anionic spacer group. Each surfactant was prepared through the reaction of two moles of polyoxyethylene alkyl ether with one mole of maleic anhydride to form a diester having a gemini structure; an anionic sulfonate group was then introduced through reaction of the olefinic bond with sodium hydrogen sulfite. The structures of these compounds were confirmed through infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. These modified double‐tailed surfactants exhibit good surface properties, including low‐foaming, wetting and lime‐soap dispersing power. Their excellent dispersing abilities toward disperse dyes were due to the double‐tailed structures of the surfactants, with the hydrophobic moieties increasing the binding ability to the dyes and its anionic units providing dispersing power.