The Concise Surfactant Reference
By Eric Lomax, 1998
200 x 305 mm, 12" x 8"
Softback bound with a clear cover, 142 pages
ISBN: 978-1870228-22-0
RRP £90.00
Surfactants (surface-active agents - materials which alter the surface properties of water and other liquids to produce foams, emulsions and other effects) are used in very many industries, but their properties are not as widely understood as they might be. This is partly because the physical chemistry behind these effects is not always available.
This book explains, with the help of ten coloured diagrams and very many black and white illustrations, the structure, preparation and properties of the common surfactant types (anionic, nonionic, cationic and amphoteric). It goes on to show why some surfactants are easily thickened (and thinned) and how hydrotropes work; why some are foaming agents, others are wetting agents and yet others are emulsifiers; what is required for low-foaming products and how defoaming works; the difference between a solubiliser and a coupler and what a microemulsion is; the interactions between different surfactants and how use can be made of such effects; the application of surfactants in personal care products, in laundry and dishwashing detergents, in hard surface cleaners and other uses, and many more important facts about surfactants. The book is completed by a discussion of toxicological and environmental considerations, an extensive glossary of surfactant terms and an encyclopaedic list of surfactant types.
The Concise Surfactant Reference has been written by Eric Lomax who is well known as a lecturer on surfactant technology. He is the editor of Marcel Dekker's Amphoteric Surfactants, wrote several chapters for that book and has written many other papers dealing with the properties and applications of these interesting materials.
This is an essential book for all chemists working with surfactants. It will also be of great use to other technical personnel who have to understand something about these products.