Lithium, ammonium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium salts of methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl and secondary butyl esters ofa‐sulfopalmitic anda‐sulfostearic acids were prepared for a study of structureproperty relations. The esters are easily biodegradable, have good foaming, detergent and lime soap dispersing properties and resist acid and alkaline hydrolysis. Thea‐sulfopalmitates are more soluble. Differences in the cation and the alcohol influence melting point, aqueous solubility, solubility in organic solvents, surface and interfacial tension, critical micelle concentration and emulsifying properties.

Reaction of propylene oxide, rather than ethylene oxide, with fatty alcohols, gives a higher yield (50%) of mono‐oxyalkylation product because the secondary alcohol formed is less reactive than the primary alcohol formed with ethylene oxide. Rate of further reaction is about half the rate of the parent primary alcohol. Distributuon of propylene oxide reaction products follows the Weibull‐Nycander equation.Analysis of reaction products was accomplished by gas‐liquid chromatography of the acetylated ether alcohol mixtures. Pure mono‐oxypropylated alcohols ROCH2CHOHCH3 and in some cases dioxypropylated alcohols R[OCH2CH(CH3)]2OH were separated by fractional distillation.Individual ether alcohols and products with a known average number of oxypropyl groups were sulfated and evaluated in terms of Krafft point, critical micelle concentration, detergency, foam height and lime soap dispersing properties. Incorporation of one oxypropyl group was more effective than the same degree of oxyethylation, and improved solubility with no significant loss in foaming and detergency. Ether alcohol sulfates from propylene oxide are stable to alkaline hydrolysis and nearly equal to the sulfates from ethylene oxide in their stability to acid hydrolysis.