Abstract
The mutual separation of non-ionic surfactants containing polyoxyethylene (POE) chain was accomplished by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) by using a UV detector after the esterification with 3, 5-dinitrobenzoyl chloride. The molar absorption coefficients (ε) at 254nm of the benzoylates of these materials having different POE chain length are confirmed to be practically identical (1.1×104) by measurments of ε of the homogeneous polyethylenglycol monododecyl ethers, and following conclusion can be established that these chromatograms should give the molar distribution of POE chain length directly.
Further, the statistical treatment of the chromatograms has been studied and then concluded that this HPLC analysis is one of the most convenient method for routin analysis of nonionic surfactants containing POE chain. Two typical molar distribution of POE chain length (We-ibull Nycander and Poisson distribution) were analyzed precisely by this HPLC method.
