Alkyl ether sulphates Applications

This class of surfactants has possibly the widest range of use of any anionic surfactant. It is found in almost every product where foaming is desirable, in industrial, household and personal care applications. Alkyl ether sulphates are described in terms of their parent alcohol and the degree of ethoxylation. Thus, sodium laureth-2 is the sodium salt of a sulphated (predominantly) C12 alcohol, with an average of 2 mol of ethylene oxide added. Often, the alcohol is assumed to be the typical C12-14 and the surfactant simply called a 2-or 3-mol ether sulphate. 

Applications. Alkyl ether sulphates are almost ubiquitous in cleaning products but are rarely found as the primary surfactant as they bring only some detergency but mainly contribute to foaming and viscosity building. 

Alternatively, a method is described for alkyl ether sulphates, which would also be applicable to alcohol ethoxylates, in which the equilibrium head-space is analysed on a 3 m x 1.8 mm i.d. column of 0.8% THEED/ Carbopack C (80-100 mesh) [14]. A detection limit with FID of 0.1 ppm is claimed. For improved quantitation, both methods can be adapted to a method of standard additions. 

They are a versatile surfactant type, with some properties analogous to those of ether sulphates. Unlike sulphate (which is a sulphuric acid mono alkyl ester), phosphate can form di- and triester, giving a wider range of structures and, with them, the ability to tailor the product to a greater number of application areas. 

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