Sodium dialkyl phosphates: Surfactant properties and use in heavy duty detergents

A study of the physical and surface active properties of the sodium salts of dialkyl phosphates has been made. These compounds have been evaluated for use as surfactants in built detergents and their performance has been compared with commercial surfactants. The dialkyl hydrogen phosphates contained from 16–26 carbon atoms per molecule and were prepared from both straight chain alcohols and commercially available branched chain alcohols. In general, the surface active properties of the branched chain compounds are better than their corresponding straight chain compounds. Good detergency performance is obtained when the number of carbon atoms per molecule is between 17 and 23. Optimum performance is obtained with the symmetrical didecyl hydrogen phosphate salts made from commercial decyl alcohol produced by the oxo-process.