Properties of sodium phosphate-hydroxy ethanolamide gemini surfactant synthesized from the seed oil of Luffa cylindrical

Abstract

Abstract The production of surfactant from biological and renewable sources is important as this reduces environmental hazards since the products are highly biodegradable. Oil extracted from the seed of Luffa cylindrica using hexane in a soxhlet extractor was used in the synthesis of sodium phosphate-hydroxy ethanolamide via a simple reaction mechanism. The progress of the reaction was monitored and confirmed by FTIR, 1HNMR and 13CNMR. The process used gave a yield of 88.46% of sodium phosphate-hydroxy ethanolamide. The properties of this compound were compared with those of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) used as a known reference surfactant. Important properties of sodium phosphate-hydroxy ethanolamide such as foam stability, wetting power and surface tension turned out superior to those of the known reference surfactant (SDS).