Ammonium lauryl sulfate

Ammonium lauryl sulfate
Names


IUPAC name Ammonium dodecyl sulfate
Other names • monododecyl ester, ammonium salt • Ammonium dodecyl sulfate
Identifiers
CAS Number	2235-54-3^Y
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
ChemSpider	15835^Y
ECHA InfoCard	100.017.086
PubChem	16700
UNII	Q7AO2R1M0B^Y
InChI InChI=1S/C12H26O4S.H3N/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-16-17(13,14)15;/h2-12H2,1H3,(H,13,14,15);1H3^Y Key: BTBJBAZGXNKLQC-UHFFFAOYSA-N^Y InChI=1/C12H26O4S.H3N/c1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-16-17(13,14)15;/h2-12H2,1H3,(H,13,14,15);1H3 Key: BTBJBAZGXNKLQC-UHFFFAOYAS
SMILES [O-]S(=O)(=O)OCCCCCCCCCCCC.[NH4+]
Properties
Chemical formula	C₁₂H₂₉NO₄S
Molar mass	283.43 g/mol
Appearance	yellowish viscous liquid
Density	1.02 g/cm³
Boiling point	418 °C (784 °F; 691 K)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Y (what is ^YN ?)
Infobox references

Ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) is the common name for ammonium dodecyl sulfate (CH₃(CH₂)₁₀CH₂OSO₃NH₄). The molecule consists of a long nonpolar hydrocarbon chain and a polar sulfate end group, the combination of which make the material a surfactant. These two components allow the compound to dissolve among both polar and non-polar molecules. ALS is classified as an alkyl sulfate and is an anionic surfactant found primarily in shampoos and body-wash as a foaming agent. Lauryl sulfates are very high-foam surfactants that disrupt the surface tension of water in part by forming micelles around the highly polar water molecules at the surface-air interface.

Like many surfactants, ammonium lauryl sulfate makes a good base for cleaners because of the way it disrupts hydrogen bonding in water. (It is hydrogen bonding that is the primary contributor to the high surface tension of water.) In aqueous (water-based) solutions, the lauryl sulfate anions and the ammonium cations dissociate from each other. Above the critical micelle concentration, the anions then align themselves into a micelle, in which they form a sphere with the polar, hydrophilic heads of the sulfate portion on the outside (surface) of the sphere and the nonpolar, hydrophobic tails pointing inwards towards the center. The water molecules around the micelle in turn arrange themselves around the polar heads, which disrupts their ability to hydrogen bond with other nearby water molecules. The overall effect of these micelles is a reduction in surface tension of the solution, which affords a greater ability to penetrate or "wet out" various surfaces, including porous structures like cloth, fibers, and hair. Accordingly, this allows the solution to more readily dissolve soils, greases, etc. in and on such substrates.

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Wikipedia