Tensammetric studies of alcohols with reference to their structural influence on surface activity

Abstract

This work relates to the tensametric studies of various aliphatic alcohols with a view to see if this technique can be used to assess the structural influence on surface activity. From the study of the homologous series of aliphatic alcohols, it is seen that the surface activity increases with increase in chain length of the alcohols. With lower members of the series the desorption peak is not sharp. There is no regular shift of peak potential from methanol to amylalcohol. For the same alcohol the surface activity increases if the carbon atoms are in a straight chain but decreases if they are branched. Primary alcohols are more surface active than secondary and secondary are more surface active than tertiary alcohols. The peak potential is more negative for normal alcohol than that of tertiary alcohol. Saturated alcohols are more surface active than unsaturated ones having the same number of carbon atoms. The peak potential is also more negative with saturated than with unsaturated. Monohydric alcohols are more surface active than dihydric and dihydric is more surface active than trihydric alcohol having the same number of carbon atoms as in monohydric and dihydric alcohols and in this case the peak potential is more negative with trihydric than with monohydric alcohol.