Abstract:

A secondary alcohol polyoxyethylene ether with EO addition number of 3, SAEO₃, was synthesized by using KOH and CH₃OK as catalysts in ethoxylation reaction. The catalytic activities of both catalysts were evaluated. The effects of different catalysts on the performance of SAEO₃ （including surface properties, physical and chemical properties, application properties, etc.） were systematically investigated. The properties of SAEO₃ synthesized in the laboratory were also compared with those of the commercially available product Secol-30. The conclusions are as follows: Compared with KOH catalyst, the reaction activity and product selectivity were higher when catalyzed by CH₃OK for the ethoxylation of secondary alcohols. The physical and chemical properties of SAEO₃ were similar to those of the commercially available Secol-30, and the cloud point of the secondary alcohol ethers catalyzed by CH₃OK was higher than those of the other products. The cmc of SAEO₃ was lower than that of the commercially available Secol-30. However, Secol-30 had better ability to reduce surface tension, which could reduce the surface tension of aqueous solution to 28.25 mN/m at low concentration. SAEO₃ has no gel phase region and has superior detergency, so it can be used in concentrated detergent products.

Key words: nonionic surfactant, secondary alcohol ethoxylate, physical and chemical properties, application performance