The purpose of this work was to develop a fast method of analysis for nonionic surfactants which could be used in routine analysis and water pollution studies. This has been achieved for a series of nonylphenolethylene oxide adducts by column liquid-liquid chromatography using a 23-cm column and ultraviolet detection. Adducts varying in chain length from 1 to 20 ethylene oxide units have been separated and a series of commercial products has been characterized. Typical separations take 5 to 30 minutes depending on the resolution desired and the number of components in the sample. The relative precision is 0.4% and the limit of detection is estimated to be about 0.2 Mg. Nonionic surfactants are the second largest group of surfactants produced in the United States (1). They are used as laundry detergents as well as emulsifying agents in products like cosmetics and paints. The main types are polyoxyethylene and polyoxypropylene adducts such as the alkyl phenol ethyoxylates: R-((Z))-O-(CH -CH,-O), HIn the manufacture of these products the alkyl phenol is reacted with an excess of ethylene oxide (EO) and a mixture of oligomers of varying chain length (*) is produced. The distribution of chain lengths should be Poisson (2) and there is some evidence to support this prediction (2-6). Commercial products are mixtures of oligomers which are conveniently denoted by the number of moles of ethylene oxide reacted with one mole of phenol, e.g., 5 EO.A fast and simple method of analysis does not exist for nonionic surfactants at the present time (1). Fast, sensitive methods would be useful in biodegradation studies and water pollution analysis as well as routine quality control. Analysis methods have been reviewed in the book edited by Shick (7), and several papers are included in the proceedings of a 1964 International Congress (8) also published in 1967.

No abstract