The primary detergents of cleaning chemistry u2014 LAS, SLES, SLS, and AOS u2014 plus a DOSS wetting agent and a sodium xylene sulfonate hydrotrope for laundry, dish, and hard-surface formulations.
Anionic surfactants are negatively charged surface-active agents that do mostnof the cleaning work in laundry detergents, liquid dish soaps, and hard-surface cleaners.nThey lift and suspend oily and particulate soil so it rinses away. Sodium linear alkylbenzenensulfonate (LAS) is the highest-volume workhorse; the ether sulfate (SLES) and lauryl sulfaten(SLS) add foam and form the basis of most liquid cleaners.
nnThese surfactants foam readily and clean at low cost, but foam is a liability in machinendishwash and clean-in-place (CIP) circuits, and detergency drops in hard water as calcium andnmagnesium ions tie up the surfactant. Pair them with a builder or chelant where water hardnessnruns above roughly 150 ppm as CaCO3, and specify alpha-olefin sulfonate (AOS) over LAS wherenhard-water tolerance matters.
nnFor concentrated, clear formulas a hydrotrope such as sodium xylene sulfonate keeps surfactantsnand solvents in a single phase, while dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS) is the choice whennrapid substrate wetting matters more than foam. Specify SLES for liquid dish and personal-cleansingnbases where foam and viscosity response are priorities; reserve LAS for cost-driven powder andnliquid laundry.
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