Alkylaldehyde–bisulfite adducts as cleavable surfactants

Alkylaldehyde–bisulfite adducts with octyl, decyl, and dodecyl groups (CnS: n = 8,10,12) were synthesized and the surface-active properties of the water-soluble compounds were compared. Exchange of the counter anions of C10S and C12S from sodium to tetramethylammonium solubilized them in water. The latter ammonium salt (C12S-QA) had surface activities as good as a classical surfactant, sodium dodecylsulfate, and dissociated promptly in weakly basic solution at room temperature to be a non-surfactant. It was also found that C12S-QA solubilized a hydrophobic substrate (solid), N,N-dimethyl-3-nitroaniline, in water and then separated it as a precipitate after alkali treatment.