Synthesis and Evaluation of N-Acyl ED3A Surfactants

A new kind of surfactants with chelating properties named N-Acyl ethylenediamine triacetate (N-acyl ED3A) of different hydrocarbon chain lengths were synthesized from anhydrous ethylene diamine, fatty acid chlorides (Capryloyl, Lauroyl, myristoyl, palmitoyl, stearoyl or oleoyl chloride) and chloroacetic acid. The chemical structures of the prepared compounds were confirmed using different spectroscopic techniques, primarily Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. The surface properties including surface and interfacial tension, foaming height, emulsification power, calcium ion stability, stability to hydrolysis and critical micelle concentration (CMC) were determined. The trisodium N- acyl ethylenediamine triacetates have been found to combine the properties of strong surfactancy, extreme mildness with a high tolerance to water hardness, and ability to chelate metal ions, which indicates a promising application prospect in many fields.