Synthesis and rigorous purification of sodium alkylbenzene sulfonates

The detergent properties of sodium alkylbenzene sulfonates frequently do not allow the use of conventional solvents and methods of organic chemistry for isolation and purification. The preparation of large quantities of highly purified linear and branched alkylbenzene sulfonates was achieved through purification of the corresponding methyl sulfonate ester obtained in one step by chlorosulfonation of the hydrocarbon and quenching the reaction mixture with methanol. Preparative HPLC of the methyl sulfonate ester and the use of special techniques in analytical HPLC provided highly purified sodium alkylbenzene sulfonates.