Alkylphenol ethoxylates derivatives

FD-MS is also an effective analytical method for direct analysis of many rubber and plastic additives. Lattimer and Welch [113,114] showed that FD-MS gives excellent molecular ion spectra for a variety of polymer additives, including rubber accelerators (dithiocar-bamates, guanidines, benzothiazyl, and thiuram derivatives), antioxidants (hindered phenols, aromatic amines), p-phcnylenediamine-based antiozonants, processing oils and phthalate plasticisers. Alkylphenol ethoxylate surfactants have been characterised by FD-MS [115]. Jack-son et al. [116] analysed some plastic additives (hindered phenol AOs and benzotriazole UVA) by FD-MS. Reaction products of a p-phenylenediaminc antiozonant and d.v-9-lricoscnc (a model olefin) were assessed by FD-MS [117],... 

This is a very important group of products and most of them are adducts of long-chain alcohols or alkylphenols with a number of ethylene oxide (EO) units. Adducts with propylene oxide (PO) and copolymers of ethylene and PO are also used although they are less important in terms of usage volume than the pure ethoxylate derivatives. 

For the quantification of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs), several related compounds have been used as internal standard, e.g. for recovery determination, decylphenol monoethoxylate [20]. Octylphenol nonaethoxylate (t-0PE09) was synthesised by reacting octylphenol (OP) with 1,2-6j.s(2-chloroethoxy)ethane to give the chloro derivative, followed by reaction with the sodium salt of hexaethylene glycol [21,22], Another approach used the synthetic standard l-(4,-methoxyphenyl)-hexan-l-ol as a surrogate to monitor the efficiency of the extraction for... 

Surfactants based on aliphatic alcohols are used as cleaners in both domestic and industrial applications. They provide excellent properties such as wetting, dispersion, and emulsification. The ethoxylates derived from alkylphenols are chemically stable and highly versatile, finding more use in industrial practice than in domestic applications. They are used both as processing aids and as components in various products. Their applications include metal cleaning, hospital cleaners and disinfectants, agricultural chemical formulation surfactants, insecticides and herbicides, oil-well drilling fluids, and many others. 

In recent years considerable attention has been given to the biodegradability of polyethoxylates and the role of their structure in this process. In consequence, there has been a move away from multi-branched alkyl side-chain in the starting alkylphenolic raw material towards more linear chains, a circumstance already adopted in the use of kerylbenzenes for the manufacture of alkylaryl sulphonates. Another practice adopted has been that of sulphation of the terminal hydroxyl group in the polyalkoxylate. Recent studies on a comparison of ethoxylates derived from the natural alkenylphenol, cardanol and from nonylphenol have indicated a considerable difference in biodegradability (ref. 24). 

Figure 1.1 presents the consumption of the major surfactants in the world market in 1996. Along with soap, linear alkylbenzene sulphonates (LAS) remain the most bulky and cost-effective anionic surfactants. LAS will continue to be the workhorse of the detergents industry on a global basis. However, the LAS share decreases gradually their recess is occupied by alcohol-derived surfactants, first of all alcohol sulphates (AS), alcohol ethoxylates (AE) and alcohol ether sulphates (AES). In West Europe alkylphenol ethoxylates (APE) have been removed over the last two decades from a large number of household applications in view of... 

Alkylphenol ethoxylates, still mainly derived from branched nonylphenol, now have only modest uses. 

Alkyl sulphates Alkylether sulphates Sulphated alkanolamides (also sulphated ethoxylated derivatives) Monoglyceride sulphates Sulphated alkylphenol ethoxylates (typically R = C9H19-, n = 3 or more)... 

Wastewater-derived alkylphenolic compounds have been studied extensively. The concentrations of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs), as the strongly prevalent sub-group of APEOs, determined in the influents of WWTPs (Table 6.1.4), varied widely among various WWTPs from <30 to 1035 pg L 1. However, values can go up to 22 500 pg L-1 in industrial wastewaters (especially from tannery, textile, pulp and paper industry). Levels of octylphenol ethoxylates (OPEOs) are significantly lower, comprising approximately 5-15% of total APEOs in WWTP influents, which is congruent with their lower commercial use. 

Among different nonionic surfactant classes, alkyl-phenol ethoxylates (APEOs) comprise the class meriting special attention with respect to environmental issues. The analysis of underivatized alkylphenolic compounds by GC-MS is restricted to the most volatile degradation products, such as alkylphenols and APEOs with less then 4-ethoxy groups. To overcome the problem of volatility, different offline and online derivatization protocols have been developed. Two complementary MS techniques, one using El and another using the less commonly used positive (P)CI, have been evaluated for the analysis of APEOs, their acidic (APECs) and neutral metabolites (APs), and halogenated derivatives. 

The most widely used alkylphenols in the manufacture of nonionic surfactants are described as follows in the order of their importance. APEs derived from p-nonylphenol account approximately 80% of the total market whereas those derived from octyl phenol account for 15-20%. Dodecyl phenol, di-nonylphenol, and DSBP ethoxylates run a poor third at <5%. 

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