Synthesis and Physicochemical Investigation of Long Alkylchain Betaine Zwitterionic Surfactant

Abstract

Abstract An effective and economic two‐step route was developed to synthesize the long alkyl chain betaine zwitterionic surfactant directly from natural fatty acids. The optimal processing conditions for synthesizing the intermediate and final product were probed and the yields of 96.4% and 88.3% were obtained for each step, respectively. The surface active behavior of the synthesized decylbetaine surfactant was investigated using the surface tension method. The related thermodynamic parameters were calculated and discussed. The fluorescence probe technology was applied to determine the micropolarity of decylbetaine micelles.