Synthesis, colloidal-chemical and petroleum collecting properties of new counterion coupled gemini surfactants based on hexadecylbis(2-hydroxypropyl)amine and dicarboxylic acids

Surface-Active Ionic Liquids and Surface-Active Quaternary Ammonium Salts from Synthesis, Characterization to Antimicrobial Properties

The present work provides new evidence of the ongoing potential of surface-active ionic liquids (SAILs) and surface-active quaternary ammonium salts (surface-active QASs). To achieve this, a series of compounds were synthesized with a yield of ≥85%, and their thermal analyses were studied. Additionally, antimicrobial activity against both human pathogenic and soil microorganisms was investigated. Subsequently, their surface properties were explored with the aim of utilizing SAILs and surface-active QASs as alternatives to commercial amphiphilic compounds. Finally, we analyzed the wettability of the leaves' surface of plants occurring in agricultural fields at different temperatures (from 5 to 25 °C) and the model plant membrane of leaves. Our results show that the synthesized compounds exhibit higher activity than their commercial analogues such as, i.e., didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C12TAB), for which the CMC values are 2 mM and 15 mM. The effectiveness of the antimicrobial properties of synthesized compounds relies on their hydrophobic nature accompanied by a cut-off effect. Moreover, the best wettability of the leaves' surface was observed at 25 °C. Our research has yielded valuable insights into the potential effectiveness of SAILs and surface-active QASs as versatile compounds, offering a promising alternative to established antimicrobials and crop protection agents, all the while preserving substantial surface activity.

Physicochemical Properties of Acylglutamic Acid-Alkylamine Complexes in Aqueous Media

We studied the physicochemical properties of 1:1 stoichiometric complexes of acylglutamic acids (CnGlu) with tertiary alkylamines (CnDMA) in water at their low and high concentrations. Static surface tensiometry suggested that the critical micelle concentration (cmc) decreased with increasing hydrophobic chain length of the complexes. In addition, CnGlu-CnDMA yielded lower cmc than the C12Glu single system. In the region of high concentrations, several phase states including isotropic liquid (L₁) phase, hexagonal liquid crystal (H₁) phase, bicontinuous cubic liquid crystal (V₁) phase, and lamellar liquid crystal (L_α) phase were observed. Assemblies with lesser positive curvature tend to be formed with increasing complex concentration, increasing temperature, and increasing hydrophobic chain length. Additionally, the complex formation resulted in the molecular assemblies with lesser positive curvature.