Dimeric Surfactants from Glucosides

M.J.L. CASTRO, J. KOVENSKY AND A. FERNÁNDEZ CIRELLI

Fortezza da Basso, Firenze Italia

Congreso; 5th World Surfactants Congress; 2000

Dimeric (Gemini) surfactants, carrying two hydrophobic chains and two hydrophilic groups connected by a spacer, have dynamic propierties different from those single-chain surfactants. They exhibit higher surface activity and are more effective at lower concentration. We have designed and synthesized new dimeric surfactants from alkyl glucosides, connecting the carbohydrate heads through hydrophobic linkers. The use of ecologically safe surfactants such as alkyl glucosides as monomers is mainly due to their biodegradability and absence of toxic effects, and the fact that they can be prepared starting from renewable raw materials as carbohydrates and long hydrocarbon chain alcohols. The sugar moieties allow several possibilities for the linkage of the spacer through selective protection/ desprotection sequences. Therefore, a short family of related compounds was prepared to rationalize their structure-propierties relationships. These dimerics amphiphiles show improved surfactant propierties when compared with their monomeric counterparts. Subtle structural differences have influence on their physicochemical propierties.