Relationship of structure to properties of surfactants. 16. Linear decyldiphenylether sulfonates

The properties of some well-characterized sodium linear decyldiphenylether (C₁₀DPE)sulfonates have been studied. Among the properties investigated are dynamic and equilibrium surface tension, critical micelle concentration (CMC), area per molecule at the aqueous solution/air interface, wetting time by the Draves technique, foaming by the Ross-Miles method, solubilization, and hydrotropy. The decyldiphenylether moiety appears to be equivalent to a terminally substituted straight alkyl chain of 16 carbon atoms. The trialkyl- and dialkyl-mono-sulfonates have solubilities of < 0.01 g/dm³ in water, but are readily soluble in hexane. The didecyldiphenyl ether disulfonate (DADS) has a very low CMC value (1.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol dm⁻³) in aqueous 0.1 N Na⁺ solution (NaCl), characteristic of surfactants with two hydrophilic and two hydrophobic groups. It also has a much larger area per molecule at the aqueous solution/air interface than the monodecyldiphenyl-ether monosulfonate (MAMS) and a much higher surface tension at the CMC. MAMS has a much lower surface tension at a surface age of 1 second (γ_1s) than either DADS or the monodecyldiphenylether disulfonate (MADS). In agreement with γ_1s and γ_eq values, wetting times increase in the order: MAMS < DADS < MADS and initial foam heights decrease in the order: MAMS > DADS > MADS. Solubilization for three water-insoluble surfactants decreases in the order: DADS > MAMS > MADS, while hydrotropy is most pronounced with the disulfonates.