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Dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid sodium salt Vs. Alkylbenzene Sulphonic Acid
Hi members,
I’m trying to duplicate a general gel cleaner for household use. The ingredients
list reads as follow:Water, Alkylbenzene Sulphonic Acid, Pine oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Lemon&Lime Fragrance, Dye (Yellow CI 19140, Blue CI 42090).
In the Mafiocracy where I live, most of the ingredients aren’t available but I can find dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid sodium salt.
Do these two ingredients i.e Alkylbenzene Sulphonic Acid and Dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid sodium salt fill the same function and are they interchangeable for this purpose.
Thank you all in advance
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5 Replies
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I suppose you could try without LABSA, even the one with acid needs neutralization with alkali.
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From my days of working with LABSA in one of my professional incarnations, the LOI says to me that the product contains a fully neutralised alkylbenzenesulfonic acid so you can forget about using the free acid yourself and opt for the ready neutralised version if that is all that is available.
The reason for using the free acid is a matter of economics in transportation. The free acid is 99+% active, sodium salt (or other neutralised versions) contain appreciable amounts of water (in liquid versions) or inorganic filler - usually sodium sulfate - in powder products.
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@Ameen I have done the gel with LABSA, but honestly it had to be neutralized as well in the formulation. The final pH, IIRC, is around 5.5 and it is a pain to adjust the pH with acid. Lucky you are to work with the LABSA salt directly, mind the the thickener here is PINE OIL.
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When I worked with LABSA we always used its self-indicating property for neutralisation. The free acid is very dark brown in colour. The neutralised product is a pale yellow. This is easier to see in bulk and with care and experience it is possible to pretty much achieve a neutral product by this method alone.
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You are right @johnb but the issue was the range of pH I was supposed to achieve, became cat and mouse game for me. Eventually changed the procedure and got the desired pH.
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