Abstract
The effects of two potential foam boosters, n-dodecanol (or lauryl alcohol: LA) and tetradecyldimethylamine oxide (C14DMAO), were investigated for two situations in which foam made from a 0.01 wt% solution of a common alkylethoxy sulfate surfactant was highly unstable in the presence of oil drops consisting of an n-hexadecane/oleic acid mixture. In one case in which dissolved CaCl2 was present at alkaline pH, insoluble calcium oleate particles formed in situ and facilitated foam breakage. In the other, a much higher concentration of calcium was present at neutral pH, and drops of a microemulsion phase formed but no calcium oleate. In both cases, 0.005 wt% LA reduced the entry coefficient, E, of the oil to the air-water surface sufficiently to prevent drop entry and stabilized the foam. In contrast, 0.005 wt% C14DMAO caused smaller reductions in E and was ineffective as a foam booster. LA was more effective because it was able to form a more compact monolayer with the surfactant than C14DMAO at the air-water surface, which led to lower surface tensions and hence lower values of E.
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Abbreviations
- AES:
-
alkylethoxy sulfate
- C14DMAO:
-
tetradecyldimethylamine oxide [=N,N-dimethylmyristyl amine oxide C14H29N(CH3)2−OH+]
- C16/HO1:
-
mixture of n-hexadecane and oleic acid
- LA:
-
lauryl alcohol
- N25-3S:
-
an AES sodium salt with a straight C12–C15 hydrocarbon chain and an average of three ethylene oxide groups per molecule
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Zhang, H., Miller, C.A., Garrett, P.R. et al. Lauryl alcohol and amine oxide as foam stabilizers in the presence of hardness and oily soil. J Surfact Deterg 8, 99–107 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-005-0337-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11743-005-0337-3