Syntheses and characterization of some cationic surfactants

A series of novel cationic surfactants were synthesized from the quaternization of triethyl amine and various long chain alkyl halide. The chemical structure of the prepared compounds was confirmed using elemental analysis, FTIR (1)H-NMR spectra. The physical properties of the synthesized surfactants including, electrical conductivity, critical micelle concentration, (CMC) and the degree of ionization of the micelle, (beta) were studied. The thermodynamic parameters of micelle formation, standard free energy Delta G(m)degrees, enthalpy Delta H(m)degrees, and entropy Delta S(m)degrees were calculated. The results of the surface parameter determination were correlated with their chemical structures. It was found that the hydrocarbon chain length is the main factor which has an effect on the value of the thermodynamic parameters.