The effect of surface active agents on liquid‐liquid mass transfer rates

Abstract

Abstract An interferometric investigation of the transfer of n ‐ and iso‐butyl alcohols from water to carbon tetrachloride revealed the existence of large interfacial resistances (500 to 2,500 sec./cm.) attributable to the presence of surface active agents. Evidence of a solute‐surfactant interaction has been obtained with sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium tetradecyl sulfate, but the effect appears to be much less pronounced with the shorter chain length surfactant or with the branched chain alcohol.