Description of Detergent:
Detergents are substances that remove grease and dirt particles from fabrics or other objects and are prepared in different types. The first ingredient made as a detergent was soap.
Since then, the number of detergents has reached a level that cannot be counted, so that today we are faced with a large number of detergents, along with their ads. In some countries today, more than 80% of the detergents used are made from synthetic detergents.
Detergent exporting countries
Chemical classifications of detergents:
Detergents are classified into three broad groupings, depending on the electrical charge of the surfactants.
Anionic detergents:
Typical anionic detergents are alkylbenzene sulfonates. The alkylbenzene portion of these anions is lipophilic and the sulfonate is hydrophilic. Two different varieties have been popularized, those with branched alkyl groups and those with linear alkyl groups. The former were largely phased out in economically advanced societies because they are poorly biodegradable.
An estimated 6 billion kilograms of anionic detergents are produced annually for domestic markets. Bile acids, such as deoxycholic acid (DOC), are anionic detergents produced by the liver to aid in digestion and absorption of fats and oils.
Cationic detergents:
Cationic detergents are similar to the anionic ones, with a hydrophilic component, but, instead of the anionic sulfonate group, the cationic surfactants have quaternary ammonium as the polar end. The ammonium sulfate center is positively charged.
Non-ionic and zwitter ionic detergents:
Non-ionic detergents are characterized by their uncharged, hydrophilic headgroups. Typical non-ionic detergents are based on polyoxyethylene or a glycoside. Common examples of the former include Tween, Triton, and the Brij series.
These materials are also known as ethoxylates or PEGylates and their metabolites, nonylphenol. Glycosides have a sugar as their uncharged hydrophilic headgroup. Examples include octyl thioglucoside and maltosides. HEGA and MEGA series detergents are similar, possessing a sugar alcohol as headgroup.
Zwitterionic detergents possess a net zero charge arising from the presence of equal numbers of +1 and −1 charged chemical groups. Examples include CHAPS.
