The utilization of petroleum sulfonates for producing low interfacial tensions between hydrocarbons and water

Abstract

Complex anionic surfactant mixtures selectively generate low interfacial tensions for aqueous phases in combination with select pure hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbon behavior is largely governed by the alkyl groups. There is some evidence of a direct relationship between hydrocarbon and surfactant molecular weight for attaining minimal tension. The classical CMC concept is not valid for the surfactants studied.