Detergents basic function

Grayness of a fabric swatch is not directly proportional to its content of black pigment (or artificial sod). A basic formula relating reflectance to the pigment content or concentration can be appHed to the evaluation of detergency test swatches (51,99—101). In simple form, an adaptation of the Kubelka-Munk equation, it states that the quantity (1 — i ) /2R (where R is the fraction of light reflected from the sample) is a linear function of the sod content of the sample. 

Even if this class covers the smallest market segment, amphoteric surfactants still remain useful because of their unique properties, which justifies their comparably high manufacturing costs. Since they have partial anionic and cationic character, they can be compatible, under specific conditions, with both anionic and cationic surfactants. They can function in acid or basic pH systems and, at their isoelectric point, they exhibit special behaviour. Many amphoteric surfactants demonstrate exceptional foaming and detergency properties combined with antistatic effects. 

Cooperative enhancement is not the only possibility in the interaction of multicomponent additive mixtures. Interference with the antiwear or antiscuff action of a lubricant additive by another component added to the compounded oil as a detergent or an anticorrosion agent is not an unusual experience in the commercial practice of lubrication. The bulk of the experience is empirical good basic studies of inhibition of antiwear or antiscuff functionality are rare. 

Nucleoprotein heteropolar complexes of nucleic acids (in particular, nuclear DNA) with basic, acid-soluble proteins (histones or protamines), and with acidic, base- or detergent-soluble non-histone chromatin proteins. N. occur mainly in the chromatin of the cell nucleus in its quiescent state, and in the chromosomes when the nucleus is active, i.e. dividing. Many viruses consist entirely of N., but N. are absent from bacteria. N. are concerned in DNA replication, and in the control of gene function during protein biosynthesis. 

The solubility of phospholipid membranes by non-ionic detergents is a basic technique in membrane biochemistry. Non-ionic rather than ionic surfactants are usually the first choice in biomembrane work when the preservation of structure and function of membrane proteins is desired. Two classes of non-ionic surfactants have found broad application, namely the n-alkylglycosides and the poly(oxyethylene)-n-alkyl- and acyl ethers. The former compounds are sometimes preferable for the reconstitution of proteins into closed membrane vesicles, due to their large critical micelle concentrations (cmc), while better protection against protein denaturation is usually achieved by the latter class of surfactants [1,2]. 

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