Talk:Surfactant

In the lungs?

What about surfactants in the lungs? Huh?

I believe lung surfactants are long-chain saturated phospholipids with melting points of around 42 celsius, but it would be helpful if the article contained some information about this... --Giftiger wunsch (talk) 16:32, 21 March 2009 (UTC)

English please!

What the heck is "Alkyl poly(ethylene oxide)" and "Alkyl polyglucosides"? A product I purchased instructs me to mix it with some "nonionic surfactant" so do I just pop over to the grocery store and ask what isle has Alkyl polyglucosides or what?

Thanks for remembering that an encyclopedia exists to explain words and phrases to the uninitiated.

Well this is actually a really well written article. The author can't help the fact that the chemical names "Alkyl poly(ethylene oxide)" and "Alkyl polyglucosides" are what they are. The author just cited them as examples and certainly do not represent the entire spectrum of surfactants that exist on the market today.

And no, for the most part you can't go down to the local grocery store and just pick up a surfactant. You could get some dish soap (ie Dawn) and it will most likely have SLS in it but it will also have a bunch of other crap in it (eg fragrances) that you may or may not wish to include in your formulation. I suggest you do a little more research on this topic and quit badgering the author simply because you're too ignorant to know what is going on.

Binders?

I read a website that said that inks contained binders and I'm trying to figure out some examples.

Needs detergents

I think it would be helpful if someone explained surfactants with a diagram. I feel that this article is really lacking without a picture, so someone please add one...

It would also be helpful if it explained how surfactants can remove oil and dirt.

Umm.. looks just fine to me. If you need it dumbed down, try looking up some of the terms you are having trouble with. Like "chemistry" and/or "ionic interactions".

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what else?

Is ethylene oxide a surfactant? EtO has only 2 carbons, a very short chain and don't seems to be hydrofobic. What's source?

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The article doesn't say ethylene oxide it says alkyl poly(ethylene oxide)... Maybe the article was changed to reflect this but alkyl poly(ethylene oxide) is a surfactant.

alkyl is a long chain hydrocarbon [-CH2-CH2-] and therefore hydrophobic

polyethylene oxide is [-CH2-CH2-O-] and therefore hydrophilic

Emulsifier/Surfactant

Emulsifier goes to Emulsion, where it is treated as interchangeable with Surfactant. This is a little confusing. Should Emulsifier be separated, then combined with Surfactant? ENeville 23:18, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

"Surfactant" seems to describe more industrial applications while "emulsifier" describes more food-related applications. Also, emulsifier is a little bit more specific, as it implies only the intent of mixing two things together, while "surfactant" as described here can also be used to reduce surface tension. But speaking chemically, surfactants=emulsifiers. Perhaps the articles should be merged and "emulsifiers" can be a subsection of the different applications of "surfactants"? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.27.121.188 (talk) 11:59, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

References

Good article. Can somebody add some references?EAS 06:36, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

A tri ethanolamide?

Cocoyl TEA exists as a stable substance? If so, it should be listed as cationic, not nonionic. 216.179.3.141 18:12, 21 April 2007 (UTC) robgood@bestweb.net

Article Title

Shouldn't this article be moved to Surface active agent, since 'surfactant' is really an abbreviation for the that? FerralMoonrender (MyTalk • MyContribs • EmailMe) 03:54, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

Sounds good to me. -Shootbamboo (talk) 23:13, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

I disagree. Surfactant is now just another English noun (it appears in dictionaries) and is used way more often than "surface active agent". For similar examples of abbreviations or acronyms that evolved into normal English words, consider laser, radar, sonar, scuba... --Itub (talk) 15:34, 4 November 2008 (UTC)

Good point. -Shootbamboo (talk) 02:34, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

I agree the main article should be surfactant, but Surface active agent doesn't currently exist; it should redirect to this page. --Giftiger wunsch (talk) 16:36, 21 March 2009 (UTC)

I stand corrected... I must have typed it wrong when I checked. Ignore me --Giftiger wunsch (talk) 16:36, 21 March 2009 (UTC)

Properties

The last paragraph in the properties section launches into talk about using surfactants in agriculture rather abruptly. It appears like it's just an orphaned idea in the wrong section. Funtaff (talk) 20:32, 13 March 2009 (UTC)

I agree. I was just about to comment on that when I noticed your comment. It should be either removed or given a separate title. --Giftiger wunsch (talk) 16:28, 21 March 2009 (UTC)

Classification

Concering classification I think it is not neccesarily to have an exhausive list of all kinds of derivatives. Ito should be enough to describe anionic, non-ionic and cationic. Also HLB-value and other relevant parameters shuld be defined. Langbein Rise (talk) 06:54, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

"detergent, wetting agent, or emulsifier" needs more.

The first paragraph has confused me. The statement is made dividing surfactants into three categories: detergents, wetting agents, and emulsifiers. There does not appear to be more information about the differences. Also, wetting agent just links back to surfactant. This doesn't make sense to me.

Thanks, 12.129.98.129 (talk) 14:41, 6 July 2010 (UTC)Jon

Ingredient in my "SLS-free" shampoo

I recently purchased an allegedly "green"/"natural" shampoo for $5 (too good to be true, eh!) from a brand called Live Clean. I noticed it claims to be SLS-free, but it has one puzzling ingredient on the back: "sodium methyl 2-sulfolaurate/Disodium 2-sulfolaurate/sodium lauryl sulfoacetate." Now I'm an amateur when it comes to chemistry, but it sounds like they're misleading when they say it's SLS-free. Or is sulofacetate really different from sulfate? I ask here because I believe it would be worth mentioning in the article. --SweetNightmares (awaken) 06:05, 6 June 2011 (UTC)

I'm not sure how much of the popular avoidance of "SLS" is based on any sort of research based chemistry or medicine, but from what I've seen the focus seems to be on avoiding specifically the sulfate "SLS" substances, in particular Sodium lauryl sulfate. Hence the switch to more exotic variants as you found in your shampoo. As to whether these alternatives are "milder" or otherwise preferrable for each specific application, I don't think solid research is available. But since some consumers prefer "SLS-free" products, the market delivers. "Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate" is chemically different from Sodium lauryl sulfate though, no doubt about that. But as to how different their properties are, you may want to ask at the Reference desk. Siawase (talk) 09:49, 6 June 2011 (UTC)

Merger with Biosurfactant

I propose merging biosurfactant into the main surfactant article. It is a stub that doesn't do well on its own, also it should be expanded to address the surfactant found in lungs Quickone (talk) 10:54, 23 July 2011 (UTC)