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J Surfact Deterg (2011) 14:325–331
Measurements
the reaction medium using petroleum ether. Subsequent
purification was done by extracting the unreacted material
with petroleum ether [7] to afford the different fatty alcohol
esters of bromoacetic acid which are designated as octyl
bromoacetate (OB), dodecyl bromoacetate (DB) and
hexadecyl bromoacetate (HB).
Compound LB: IR: 2,940 cm-1 (CH3), 2,850 cm-1
(CH2), 1,736 cm-1 (C=O), 554 cm-1 (C–Br). 1H NMR
(CDCl3): 0.9 ppm (t, 3H, –CH3), 1.36 ppm (m, 20H,
–CH2–), 3.35 ppm (–O–CH2–), 4.17 ppm (Br–CH2–).
Surface Tension (c) and Interfacial Tension (cIT)
Measurements
Freshly prepared aqueous cationic surfactants solutions
with a concentration range of 0.01–0.000005 ML-1 were
poured into a clean 25-mL Teflon holder and allowed to
equilibrate for 2 h. Then, the platinum ring was adjusted
at the air–water interface of the surfactant solution. The
reading was recorded when the ring detached itself from
the solution surface. The platinum ring was removed
after each reading, washed with diluted HCl followed by
distilled water. Apparent surface tension values were
taken as the average of three replicates at 25.0 0.5 °C
[10].
Synthesis of 3-Aminopyridine-Vanillin Schiff Base (VSB)
Vanillin and 3-amino pyridine were mixed together in
equimolar ratio in a 250-mL round-bottom flask in the
presence of 50 mL ethanol as a solvent and 0.1% p-toluene
sulfonic acid as a dehydrating agent. The mixture was
refluxed under stirring for 4 h and then left to precipitate.
The product was filtered off and recrystallized twice from
ethanol to obtain the desired vanillin Schiff base (VSB) [8].
VSB: IR: 3,400 cm-1 (O–H), 2,850 cm-1 (CH3),
1,628 cm-1 (–C=N–, azomethine), 1,051 cm-1 (O–CH3),
Interfacial tension was measured between two layers
of surfactant solution and light paraffin oil at 25.0
0.5 °C. The surfactant solution (15 mL of 0.1% wt) was
added firstly into the Teflon holder and the platinum ring
was adjusted to touch the solution surface. Light paraffin
(15 mL) oil was then added smoothly onto the surface
and the system was left to equilibrate for 2 h. The
readings were recorded at the point which the ring
detached itself from the aqueous to the organic layer
(paraffin oil). The ring was removed and washed with
acetone followed by distilled water and the measurements
repeated three times for each surfactant. The interfacial
tension values were taken as the mean values of three
readings [11].
1
870 cm-1 (aromatic protons of phenyl group). H NMR
(CDCl3): 3.73 ppm (s, 3H, –OCH3), 7.26 ppm (t, 2H,
–CH=CH– benzylidenimine), 8.1 ppm (s, 1H, –N = CH–
azomethine).
Synthesis of the Cationic Schiff Base Derivatives
of Vanillin (VSBO, VSBD, VSBH)
Equimolar amounts of the vanillin Schiff base (VSB) and
alkyl bromoacetate esters (OB, DB, HB) were refluxed indi-
vidually in acetone (100 mL) as a solvent for 4 h and then left
to cool. The products were filtered off and recrystallized
twice from ethanol to remove the unreactants and the resid-
uals, and then dried under a vacuum at 50 °C for 6 h to yield
the desired cationic quaternary compounds which were des-
ignated as VSBO for octyl derivative, VSBD for dodecyl
derivative and VSBH for hexadecyl derivative [9].
Emulsification Power
A 20-mL amount of a different surfactant solution (0.1%)
was individually placed in a 100-mL cylinder and then
20 mL of the paraffin oil was added. The cylinder was
shaken vigorously for 10 min and then allowed to settle.
The time required to separate 18 mL of pure surfactant
solution was recorded and the experiment was repeated
three times for each surfactant. The average separation
time of the three experiments was taken as an indication of
the emulsification power of each surfactant [11].
Compound VSBD. IR: 1,628 cm-1 (–C=N–, azome-
thine), 870 cm-1 (aromatic protons of phenyl group),
2,920 cm-1 (CH2), 2,850 cm-1 (CH3), 3,040, 1,490 cm-1
1
(N?), 1,051 cm-1 (O–CH3). H NMR (CDCl3): 0.96 ppm
Biodegradation Test
(t, 3H, –CH3), 1.3 ppm (m, 20H, –CH2–[CH2]10–CH3),
3.73 ppm (s, 3H, –OCH3), 4.19 ppm (t, 2H, –COO–CH2),
7.26 ppm (t, 2H, =CH–CH=benzylidenimine), 7.33 ppm,
8.1 ppm (s, 1H, –N=CH– azomethine). 13C NMR (CDCl3):
14.1 ppm (–CH3), 22.8 ppm (–CH2CH3), 29.7 ppm
(CH2[CH2]9CH2CH3), 55.9 ppm (–OCH3), 63.2 ppm
(OCH2), 118.3 ppm (=CH–CH=CH–CH=benzylideni-
mine), 160.2 ppm (–N = CH– azomethine), 161 ppm
(–COOCH2).
The Modified Screening Test [12] described in the Orga-
nization for the Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) Guidelines was applied to determine the biodeg-
radation. A mixture of equal volumes of secondary effluent
from a wastewater treatment plant and garden soil aqueous
suspension was used as inoculums for the biodegradation
test.
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