Amino Acid Surfactants Essay

Surfactants are the group of organic compounds which is attaining great interest of researchers due to their wide range of applications in various fields of human kind as laundry detergents, emulsifiers, corrosion inhibitors, oil recovery, drugs etc. Biodegradability and toxicity is a major issue arising from the widespread use of conventional surfactants that led researchers to design eco-friendly, less toxic and biodegradable Biosurfactants. Biosurfactants are the surface active agents synthesized from microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and yeast or excreted extracellularly. Amino acid surfactants formed another class of green and sustainable surfactants which is generally originated from animal or agricultural base. Amino acid based surfactants are gaining great interest of

Bola amphiphiles aminoacid surfactants: In this class, two polar amino acid head joined together via single hydrophobic tails (Figure). Figure caption

6. Synthesis of Amino acid surfactants

6.1. Fundamental synthesis paths of aminoacid surfactants In amino acid surfactants, the hydrophobic group may be attached either at the amine moiety or at the carboxylic moiety. On the basis of this approach, four fundamental synthesis paths are deducted by the researchers [ref.] as given in Figure N.

Figure N Fundamental synthesis paths of amino acid based surfactants (Redraw)

Path 1 shows the production of amphiphilic ester amine through esterification reaction, in which surfactants synthesis is achieved by the refluxing fatty alcohol and amino acid in the presence of dehydrating agent and acidic catalyst. In some reactions Sulfuric acid plays the role of both the catalyst and the dehydrating agent.

Path 2 shows the synthesis of amphiphilic amidoamine by creating the amide bond through the reaction of activated amino acid and alkyl amine to create an amide bond and yield an.

Path 3 shows the production of amidoacid through the reaction of amine group of amino acid with fatty