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PRESENTED TO:
DR SAMREEN ASIM
2 PRESENTED BY:
MEHAK IFTIKHAR
BCH172043
BS-CHEMISTRY 7TH
TOPIC TO BE PRESENTED:

SURFACTANTS
 CONTENTS

What is Surfactant?

Classification of Surfactants

Mechanism of Surfactant

Application of Surfactant

Action of Soap

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 WHAT IS SURFACTANT
 The term surfactant was originally coined by Antara Products in the 1950s to stand for

SURFace-ACTive-AgeNT, which is an attempt to explain ‘how surfactants work’. 

 This generalization basically denotes that this general classification of compounds tends to

interact at the interface of two immiscible phases (i.e. oil and water). 

 They are amphiphilic molecules and are thus absorbed in the air-water interface. 

 At the interface, they align themselves so that the hydrophobic part is in the air and

hydrophilic part is in water. This will cause the decrease in surface or interfacial tensions. 

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 WHAT IS SURFACTANT
 Surfactants are interfacially active compounds.

 They consist of a polar head group and a non-polar hydrocarbon chain.

 The polar part of the molecule can interact strongly with polar solvents,

like water, and is therefore also called the hydrophilic part.

 The non-polar part, on the other hand, can form strong interactions with

non-polar solvents, like oil, and is therefore also called lipophilic or

hydrophobic part.

 The hydrophobic tail is a hydrocarbon, fluorocarbon or siloxane.

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 CLASSIFICATION OF SURFACTANTS
 Surfactants are typically classified into four types based on their polar head as the hydrophobic

tails are often similar.

• They have a negatively charged head

Anionic Surfactants
group
• They have a positively charged head
Cationic Surfactants
group
• They have an uncharged polar head
Non-ionic Surfactants
group
• They have a positive & negative
Zwitter-ionic Surfactants
charge group

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 CLASSIFICATION OF SURFACTANTS
Anionic Surfactants Cationic Surfactants Non-ionic Zwitter-ionic
Surfactants Surfactants

Examples: Examples: Ethoxylated Aliphatic Examples:

Alkyl sulfates, Soaps, Qutaternary Alcohol, Polyethylene Betates,
Calsoft, Texapon Ammonium salts surfactants, Triton, Amphoacetates
Spam, Tergitol
50% of overall Used together with 45% of overall Expensive, Special
industrial production, non-ionic but not with industrial production, use e.g. cosmetics
laundry detergents, anoionic, softeners in a wetting agent in
dishwashing liquid, textile, anti-static coatings, food
shampoos. additives ingredients

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 MECHANISM OF SURFACTANT
 Surfactants adsorb preferably at interfaces where they find the energetically most
favourable conditions due to their two-part structure.
 At a water surface, for example, the surfactants orient themselves in such a way that
the head group resides in the water and the hydrocarbon chain points to the gaseous
phase
 Thus surfactants can mediate between two phases as they can form strong
interactions with both of them.
 The interfacial tension consequently decreases.
 The addition of surfactants hence facilitates the mixing of non-polar and polar
phases, which is used in the detergent industry for example.
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 MECHANISM OF SURFACTANT
 The decrease of the interfacial tension caused by surfactants becomes stronger the more

surfactants are adsorbed at the interface.

 Once the interface (and the adjacent volume phases) are saturated the addition of more

surfactants will not decrease the interfacial tension any further.

 Instead a self-organization of the surfactant molecules takes place inside a volume phase.

 For example micelles form which consist of several clustered surfactant molecules that shield

their non-polar chains from the surrounding aqueous phase with their polar head groups.

 The minimization of the unfavourable contact between non-polar surfactant chains and the

polar solvent compensates the loss of entropy by micelle formation.

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 CRITICAL MICELLE CONCENTRATION
 The critical micelle concentration CMC is the surfactant concentration at and above which micelles

are formed.

 It can be determined for surfactant solutions by measuring the surface tension at different

concentrations.

 Below the CMC the surface tension decreases with increasing surfactant concentration as the

number of surfactants at the interface increases.

 Above the CMC, in contrast, the surface tension of the solution is constant because the interfacial

surfactant concentration does not change any more.

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 MECHANISM OF SURFACTANT

Surface Tension
Log Surfactant concentration

Figure: Micelles
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 APPLICATIONS OF SURFACTANTS
 Surfactants in Shampoos

 Surfactants in Cosmetics

 Surfactants in Textile Processing

 Surfactants in Pharmaceutical Formulations

 Surfactants in Agrochemicals

 Surfactants in Household and Industrial & Institutional Cleaning

 Surfactants in Oil & Gas and Paints & Coatings

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 SURFACTANTS IN SHAMPOOS
 Anionic surfactants, such as sulfates, carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, and phosphoric acid

derivatives, provide the lather and detergency of shampoos. 

 Nonionic surfactants in shampoos are typically added to act as emulsifiers, and, are added to

perfumes as solubilizing agents.

 Cationic surfactants are commonly used in hair conditioners but are more readily being used in

shampoos to increase smoothness of the hair.

 Amphoteric surfactants are milder than anionic surfactants, and are therefore commonly used as

secondary surfactants, or, are used in infant-specific formulations

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 SURFACTANTS IN COSMETICS
 Surfactants used in cosmetics are typically used to help with the spreadability of liquid

foundations, feel of creams, and humectancy of lotions.

 Surfactants are commonly used to help disperse pigments in make-up and emulsify oils for skin

care products. 

 Nonionic surfactants, due to their relative mildness, are used throughout the lotion and skin-care

markets. 

 Anionic surfactants, such as carboxylates, are commonly used in deodorants and antiperspirants

to increase dispersion and application. 

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 SURFACTANTS IN TEXTILE PROCESSING
 Surfactants in textile processing are commonly used to solubilize dyes and colorants, as well

as provide post weaving processing, such as to increase the feel and hand of a garment. 

 Common surfactants, such as anionic surfactants, are used in high loadings within laundry

detergents, while cationic surfactants (e.g. quaternary ammonium surfactants) are used in
fabric softeners to increase the hand of a laundered garment. 

 The cleansing properties of these types of surfactants are very effective at removing unwanted

dirt and oils from clothing.

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 SURFACTANTS IN PHARMACEUTICAL
FORMULATIONS
 The pharmaceutical industry has also found surfactants to be an invaluable asset to their

market needs, helping to improve product stability, wetting properties, solubilization,

detergency, and drug penetration. 

 Surfactants are a vital aspect of the manufacturing process of pharmaceutical products,

including the ability to disperse lipophilic drugs into a water media, making them acceptable
for oral consumption.

 Surfactant compounds are also used as wetting agents and emulsifiers to aid in the dissolution

of water-insoluble drugs and emulsion concentrates. Surfactants, such as polysorbates, are also
used to solubilize vitamins for oral consumption
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 SURFACTANTS IN HOUSEHOLD & INDUSTRIAL
CLEANING
 Surfactants are also used in home care, as well as, industrial and institutional markets to

produce household and industrial cleaning products (detergents, fabric conditioners, floor and
surface cleaners, air fresheners, etc.).

 The type of surfactant used is heavily dependent on the end performance and properties of the

manufactured goods, but, are typically added to provide cleaning, wetting, foaming,
emulsifier, and dispersing properties

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 ACTION OF
SOAP
 ACTION OF SOAP
 The cleansing action of both soaps and detergents results from their ability to lower the surface

tension of water, to emulsify oil or grease and to hold them in a suspension in water.

 This ability is due to the structure of soaps and detergents.

 In water, a sodium soap dissolves to form soap anions and sodium cations. For example, the

following chemical equation shows the ionization of sodium palmitate.

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 ACTION OF SOAP

 A soap anion consists of a long hydrocarbon chain with a carboxylate group on one end.
 The hydrocarbon chain, which is hydrophobic, is soluble in oils or grease.
 The ionic part is the carboxylate group, which is hydrophilic, is soluble in water

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 ACTION OF SOAP
 A soap or detergent anion consists of a hydrophobic part and a hydrophilic part.

 Soap or detergent reduces the surface tension of water.

 Therefore, the surface of the cloth is wetted thoroughly.

 The hydrophobic parts of the soap or detergent anions are soluble in grease.

 The hydrophilic parts of the anions are soluble in water.

 Scrubbing or mechanical agitation helps to pull the grease away from the cloth and the grease

is broken into smaller droplets.

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 ACTION OF SOAP
 Repulsion between the droplets causes the droplets to be suspended in water, forming an

emulsion.

 Thus, the droplets do not coagulate or redeposit on the cloth.

 Rinsing washes away the droplets

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 ACTION OF SOAP

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THANK YOU!