This volume discusses both the laboratory and industrial synthesis of nonionic surfactants, offering exhaustive coverage of recent developments in nonionic surfactant organic chemistry. It covers polyoxyethylene alkylphenols, alcohols, esters of fatty acids, mercaptans, and alkylamines; nonionic surfactants containing an amide group; polyol ester surfactants; and the use of nonionics as intermediates for ionic surfactants.

From the Preface: “The main use for nonionic surfactants has been, and in the foreseeable future will be, in the area of the detergent and personal care formulations in combination with anionic surfactants. Nonionic surfactants have also begun to find applications in new areas such as environmental protection systems, paper processing, and thin films...”

Target Audience: Physical, surface, and colloid chemists; organic, medicinal, polymer, and cosmetic chemists; surfactant scientists; environmental engineers; medical formulators; and upper-level students in these disciplines.

Table of Contents:

Distribution of the Polyoxyethylene Chain

Polyoxyethylene Alkylphenols

Polyoxyethylene Alcohols

Polyoxyethylene Esters of Fatty Acids

Polyoxyethylene Mercaptans

Polyoxyethylene Alkylamines

Nonionic Surfactants Containing an Amide Group

Polyol Ester Surfactants

Nonionics as Intermediates for Ionic Surfactants

Index