Surface Properties and Thermodynamic Parameters of Some Sugar-Based Ethoxylated Amine Surfactants: 1-Synthesis, Characterization, and Demulsification Efficiency

Several ethoxylated sugar-based amine surfactants have been synthesized and characterized by IR and (HNMR)-H-1 spectroscopy. The surface activity of the prepared compounds has been thoroughly studied and some of their surface properties (such as CMC, Gamma(max), and A(min)) have been calculated. The surface properties of the prepared compounds were correlated to their chemical structure. It was found that CMC decreases when increasing the molecular weight of polyethylene glycols, whereas A(min) increases. Furthermore, the thermodynamic parameters of adsorption and micellization were also calculated. They include Delta G, Delta H, and Delta S of micellization and adsorption. The data show that the synthesized surfactants favor adsorption, so that they can be used as demulsifiers for crude oil emulsions. In this respect, the demulsification test was carried out and the results of demulsification efficiency were correlated to the chemical composition of the investigated compounds. Some factors that affect the demulsification efficiency were also considered.