Synthesis and some studies on fluorinated cationic surfactants: Surface and biocidal activities

Three fluorinated cationic surfactants were prepared by condensing N-(2-bromoethyl)perfluoroalkylamides with stoichiometric amounts of pyridine, triethanolamine, and triethylamine to produce three quaternary ammonium salts. The surface and biocidal properties of these surfactants were investigated to find the relation between the structure of the hydrophilic portion of the compounds and their efficiency as biocides. The properties studied included critical micelle concentration (CMC), effectiveness (Pi(CMC)), surface excess concentration (Gamma(max)), and area occupied by a molecule (A(min)). Free energies of micellization (Delta G(mic)degrees) and adsorption (Delta G(ads)degrees) of the surfactants in aqueous solution were calculated. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of the prepared compounds were tested against five strains as representative group of microorganisms.