Potential types, associated with surfactant

Strecker reactions provide one of the most efficient methods for the synthesis of a-amino nitriles, which are useful intermediates in the synthesis of amino acids and nitrogen-containing heterocycles. Although classical Strecker reactions have some limitations, use of trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) as a cyano anion source provides promising and safer routes to these compounds.133-351 Consequently, we focused our attention on tributyltin cyanide (Bu3SnCN), because Bu3SnCN is stable in water and is also a potential cyano anion source. Indeed, the Strecker-type reactions of aldehydes, amines, and Bu3SnCN proceeded smoothly in water (Eq. 9).1361 It should be noted that no surfactants are required in this reaction. Furthermore, Complete recovery of the toxic tin compounds is also possible in the form of bis(tributyltin) oxide after the reaction is over. Since conversion of bis(tributyltin) oxide to tributyltin cyanide is known in the literature, this procedure provides a solution to the problem associated with toxicity of tin compounds. 

The effect of a surfactant on skin depends on the type of surfactant as described earlier. Wilhelm et al. demonstrated the irritation potential of anionic surfactants.21 They evaluated the effects of sodium salts of n-alkyl sulfates with variable carbon chain length on TEWL and found that a C12 analog gave a maximum response. They suggested that the mechanisms responsible for the hydration of SC are related to the irritation properties of the surfactants. Leveque et al. also suggested22 that the hyperhydration of SC is consecutive to the inflammation process. They demonstrated that the increase of TEWL was induced by SDS without removal of SC lipids. SDS might influence not only SC barrier function, but also the nucleated layer of epidermis and dermal system associated with inflammation.23 Recently, no correlation was found between the level of epidermal hyperplasia and TEWL increase on the SDS-irritated skin.23 Further work would be needed to determine the effects of surfactants on skin. 

Finally, by way of illustration, we mention a polymer type currently receiving much attention. The polymer is referred to as hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethane (HEUR), the reaction product of a PEG and a diisocyanate, end-capped with a long chain alcohol or amine. HEURs are already recognized as having much potential as associative thickeners in coating formulations. Their structure suggests they will show pronounced interaction with surfactants in solution and this is indeed the case. Here we refer to two recent studies. The first by Hulden (95) included surface tension studies of the polymer... 

Lee et al. [21] conducted molecular dynamics simulations of the flow of a com-positionally symmetric diblock copolymer into the galleries between two siUcate sheets whose surfaces were modified by grafted surfactant chains. In these simulations they assumed that block copolymers and surfactants were represented by chains of soft spheres connected by an finitely extensible nonlinear elastic potential, non-Hookean dumbbells [22], which had been employed earlier in the simulations of the dynamics of polymer blends and block copolymers by Grest et al. [23] and Murat et al. [24]. To describe the interactions among the four components, namely the surfaces, the surfactant, and two blocks, Lee et al. [21] employed a Lennard-Jones potential having the energy parameters which are associated with the type of interactions often employed for lattice systems such as in the Flory-Huggins theory. 

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