Alcohol Sulfate
Sulfated primary Alcohols (ASs), ROSO3-M+ Primary Ass are one of the “workhourse” surfactants and are formed by the direct sulfation of an alcohol. The alcohol may be derived either from oleochemical or from petrochemical sourses. Oleochemical ASs contain a highly linear hydrophobe, whereas the hydrophobe in Petrochemical ASs may range from highly linear to highly branched, depending on the method of manufacture. For performance reasons, a mixture of alcohol chain lengths ranging from dodecyl to hexadecyl is preferred for ASs.
The most common commercial method of sulfation is “thin film” sulfation in which SO3 vapor reacts with a thin film of alcohol. An alternative route, using chlorosulfonic, is convenient for laboratory sulfation and is sometimes practiced commercially. Both methods are capable of producing ASs with excellent color.