① From 2500 BC to 1850 BC, sheep oil and wood ash were used to make soap
Sheep oil - tricarboxylic acid ester, abbreviated as triglycerides, undergoes alkaline hydrolysis → carboxylate+monoglyceride+diglyceride+glycerol
Mid-19th century
On the one hand, soap began to achieve industrial production, and on the other hand, chemically synthesized surfactants also emerged
② The emergence of Türkiye red oil:
Türkiye red oil is the reaction product of castor oil and sulfuric acid. Castor oil is the triglyceride of castor oil acid
Deep sulfonation, acid and hard water resistant
③ At the beginning of the 19th century, mineral raw materials were used to prepare detergents
Development of Petroleum Industry → Petroleum Sulfuric Acid (Green Oil)
A sulfonated mixture of wax and tea, dissolved in acid and presenting a green black color, is prepared by neutralization with alkali.
Petroleum sulfonic acid soap has good water solubility and is called green sodium (the first detergent made from mineral raw materials)
During World War I, oils and fats appeared
Coal production → Coal chemical industry development → Short chain alkyl and nanosulfonate surfactants
Such as propyl naphthalene sulfonate and butyl naphthalene sulfonate
1920-1930 Sulfation of fatty alcohols → Alkyl sulfates
In the 1930s, long-chain alkyl and phenyl groups appeared in the United States
After World War I, Germany developed ethylene glycol derivatives, such as polyethylene glycol derivatives. Polyethylene glycol was combined with various organic compounds (including alcohols, acids, esters, amines, amides) to form a variety of excellent non-ionic surfactants.
The formation of surfactants and synthetic detergents as an industry can be traced back to the 1930s, when synthetic surfactants and detergents derived from petrochemical raw materials broke the monopoly of soap. After more than 60 years of development, the world's total detergent production reached 43 million tons in 1995, including 9 million tons of soap. According to experts' predictions, the world's population will double from 2000 to 2050, and the total amount of detergents will increase from 50 million tons to 120 million tons, with a net increase of 1.4 million tons, which is an encouraging figure.
The surfactant and synthetic detergent industry in China began in the 1950s, and although it started relatively late, it developed rapidly. In 1995, the total amount of laundry products reached 3.1 million tons, ranking second in the world after the United States. The production of synthetic detergents increased from 400000 tons in 1980 to 2.3 million tons in 1995, a net increase of 4.7 times, and grew at an average annual growth rate of over 10%.
According to authoritative departments in China, the total amount of laundry products will reach 3.6 million tons in 2000, of which synthetic detergents will reach 655000 tons. Among them, the types of surfactants with a production capacity of over 10000 tons include sodium linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS), sodium fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether sulfate (AES), ammonium fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether sulfate (AESA), sodium lauryl alcohol sulfate (K12 or SDS), nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether (TX-10), Pingpingjia O, diethanolamide (6501), glycerol stearate, lignosulfonate, heavy alkylbenzene sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate (petroleum sulfonate), diffuser NNO, diffuser MF, alkyl polyether (PO-EO copolymer), fatty alcohol polyoxyethylene ether (AEO-3), etc.