SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, AND SURFACE ACTIVITY OF SURFACTANTS DERIVED FROM NONYLPHENOL, ETHYLENE OXIDE AND CARBON DIOXIDE

Abstract

Abstract The synthesis of the nonylphenol poly(ethylene carbonate) surfactants derived from nonylphenol (NP), carbon dioxide and ethylene oxide (EO) were carried out with high yields in the presence of alkali metal salts (K2CO3, Na2CO3, K2SnO3 and zinc glutamate) as base catalysts. The synthesis reactions were carried out in a stainless-steel reactor in the temperature range of 150-200°C under an initial pressure of 800 psi, with an initial molar ratio of CO2/EO = 0·21, catalyst concentration of 1 × 103 M for a 24 h-period. The surfactants were characterized by FT-IR and by H-NMR. The percentages of carbon dioxide incorporation were between 7 and 16% indicating that the activation of CO2 is a rather difficult process under the catalytic conditions used L175-200 °C and 800 psi of final pressure) It was found that the most probable mechanism for the synthesis of the surfactants occurs in two steps. The first reaction involves the role of the base as a catalyst for the formation of the cyclic ethylene carbon...