the manuscripts, and to the authors for their interest in the symposium

PREFACE

Downloaded by 110.83.68.226 on August 27, 2015 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: May 21, 1984 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1984-0253.pr001

WORLDWIDE

C O N S U M P T I O N O F S U R F A C T A N T S , even excluding soaps, is now measured in billions of pounds. In the United States alone, surfactants are a multibillion dollar industry, with hundreds of different types used in industrial and consumer products for a multitude of different purposes. Although a vast literature exists on the properties of surfactants, the amount of data from which reliable chemical structure/property relationships can be drawn is surprisingly meagre. A major reason for this paucity of data is the marked effect that very small quantities of highly surface-active impurities can have on the properties of surfactants in solution, coupled with the difficulty of removing some of these impurities when they are present. Moreover, many investigations into the properties of surfactants have dealt with commercial materials that are mixtures of surface-active compounds, and structure/property correlations so based are often of questionable validity because of insufficient characterization of the materials investigated. On the other hand, the effect of surface-active impurities has been known for about 40 years now, and careful investigators have compiled a body of data that, although limited in scope, has made available some information on chemical structure/property relationships. Recent years have seen a revival of interest in the study of surfactants and their properties, in part due to their potentialities for use in enhanced oil recovery. In addition, greater awareness of the effects of impurities, the availability of a variety of high-purity surfactants from a number of commercial sources, and improved methods for characterizing and purifying materials have resulted in an increased number of investigations containing data on surfactant properties from which reliable conclusions can be drawn. The symposium on which this book is based assembled the results of worldwide research on surfactant structure/performance relationships by most of the active groups throughout the world. Most of the papers included here embody recent research results; a few are invited overview papers. The use of the facilities of the Department of Chemistry of Brooklyn College, City University of New York, greatly expedited the editing of the manuscripts and is gratefully acknowledged. I should like to thank Theresa Rudd and Barbara Fudge of the secretarial staff of the department for typing revised portions of the manuscripts and the necessary correspondence. My thanks also to the unnamed referees for their conscientious examination of

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In Structure/Performance Relationships in Surfactants; Rosen, M.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1984.

the manuscripts, and to the authors for their interest in the symposium and their cooperation in making this volume possible. MILTON J. R O S E N

Great Neck, New York

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February 1984

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In Structure/Performance Relationships in Surfactants; Rosen, M.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1984.