Separation and quantitative determination of active integredients in detergent formulations

Abstract

During the past few years, the increasing complexity of detergent formulations has required the analytical detergent chemists to devise many new and complicated separation schemes. This paper describes a method which allows the separation and quantitative determination of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), ethoxylated alcohol sulfate (AES), alcohol sulfate (AS), free nonionic and amine oxide in detergent formulations. A combination of ion exchange, chemical separations, and gas chromatography is used in the described method. In addition to quantitating the types of “active” material listed, the ethylene oxide content of the ethoxylated alcohol sulfate and the homolog distribution of the alcohol hydrophobe in both the ethoxylated alcohol sulfate and the alcohol sulfate are obtained. This separation scheme is applicable to either liquid or powdered detergent formulations.