A bactericide or bacteriocide, sometimes abbreviated Bcidal, is a substance which kills bacteria. Bactericides are disinfectants, antiseptics, or antibiotics. However, material surfaces can also have bactericidal properties based solely on their physical surface structure, as for example biomaterials like insect wings.
A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties when in dilute solutions. There are a large variety of detergents, a common family being the alkylbenzene sulfonates, which are soap-like compounds that are more soluble in hard water, because the polar sulfonate is less likely than the polar carboxylate to bind to calcium and other ions found in hard water.
Surfactants are chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension or interfacial tension between two liquids, a liquid and a gas, or a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may function as emulsifiers, wetting agents, detergents, foaming agents, or dispersants. The word "surfactant" is a blend of surface-active agent, coined c. 1950.
A micelle or micella is an aggregate of surfactant amphipathic lipid molecules dispersed in a liquid, forming a colloidal suspension. A typical micelle in water forms an aggregate with the hydrophilic "head" regions in contact with surrounding solvent, sequestering the hydrophobic single-tail regions in the micelle centre.
Ethidium bromide is an intercalating agent commonly used as a fluorescent tag in molecular biology laboratories for techniques such as agarose gel electrophoresis. It is commonly abbreviated as EtBr, which is also an abbreviation for bromoethane. To avoid confusion, some laboratories have used the abbreviation EthBr for this salt. When exposed to ultraviolet light, it will fluoresce with an orange colour, intensifying almost 20-fold after binding to DNA. Under the name homidium, it has been commonly used since the 1950s in veterinary medicine to treat trypanosomiasis in cattle. The high incidence of antimicrobial resistance makes this treatment impractical in some areas, where the related isometamidium chloride is used instead. Despite its reputation as a mutagen, tests have shown it to have low mutagenicity without metabolic activation.
Benzalkonium chloride, also known as alkyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (ADBAC) and by the trade name Zephiran, is a type of cationic surfactant. It is an organic salt classified as a quaternary ammonium compound. ADBACs have three main categories of use: as a biocide, a cationic surfactant, and a phase transfer agent. ADBACs are a mixture of alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chlorides, in which the alkyl group has various even-numbered alkyl chain lengths.
Hair conditioner is a hair care cosmetic product used to improve the feel, texture, appearance and manageability of hair. Its main purpose is to reduce friction between strands of hair to allow smoother brushing or combing, which might otherwise cause damage to the scalp. Various other benefits are often advertised, such as hair repair, strengthening, or a reduction in split ends.
In organic chemistry, quaternary ammonium cations, also known as quats, are positively-charged polyatomic ions of the structure [NR4]+, where R is an alkyl group, an aryl group or organyl group. Unlike the ammonium ion and the primary, secondary, or tertiary ammonium cations, the quaternary ammonium cations are permanently charged, independent of the pH of their solution. Quaternary ammonium salts or quaternary ammonium compounds are salts of quaternary ammonium cations. Polyquats are a variety of engineered polymer forms which provide multiple quat molecules within a larger molecule.
Behentrimonium chloride, also known as docosyltrimethylammonium chloride or BTAC-228, is a yellow waxlike organic compound with chemical formula CH3(CH2)21N(Cl)(CH3)3, used as an antistatic agent and, sometimes, a disinfectant. It is commonly found in cosmetics such as conditioners, hair dye, and mousse, and also in detergents. Laboratory tests have indicated that it does not readily biodegrade.
A fabric softener or fabric conditioner is a conditioner that is applied to laundry after it has been washed in a washing machine. A similar, more dilute preparation meant to be applied to dry fabric is known as a wrinkle releaser.
An amphiphile, or amphipath, is a chemical compound possessing both hydrophilic and lipophilic (fat-loving) properties. Such a compound is called amphiphilic or amphipathic. Amphiphilic compounds include surfactants. The phospholipid amphiphiles are the major structural component of cell membranes.
Cetrimonium bromide ([(C16H33)N(CH3)3]Br; cetyltrimethylammonium bromide; hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide; CTAB) is a quaternary ammonium surfactant.
Dimethyldioctadecylammonium chloride is an organic compound classified as quaternary ammonium salt. The nitrogen center substituted with two methyl groups and two stearyl groups. The combination of long-chain hydrocarbon groups and the cationic ammonium confers surfactant- or a detergent-like properties. For professional use only, it can be found in many wares-and-equipment sanitizers as well as cleaner/sanitizer combinations that are standard in the foodservice industry – it was once a major component of fabric softeners, but has been largely phased out because of its low biodegradability. In household products, it may also be found as an ingredient in cosmetics and hair conditioners in which it is added primarily for its antistatic effects. It is also used in organic synthesis as a phase transfer catalyst to increase reaction rates in a two-phase organic-water system.
Benzododecinium bromide is a quaternary ammonium compound used as antiseptic and disinfectant. It is highly soluble in water and has properties of cationic surfactant.
Cetalkonium chloride (CKC) is a quaternary ammonium compound of the alkyl-benzyldimethylammonium chloride family, the alkyl group having a chain length of C16 . It is used in pharmaceutical products either as an excipient or as an active ingredient. It may be found in very small amount in the excipient benzalkonium chloride mixture. Cetalkonium chloride is purchased as a raw material in dry form as a white powder.
Dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide is a double-chained quaternary ammonium surfactant that forms unilamellar vesicles (ULVs) in water. Among various preparation methods, the ‘‘hot-water” method offers a simple procedure to prepare DODAB cationic vesicles by simply dissolving the DODAB in hot water above 50 °C, i.e., chain melting (main) transition, Tm. In general, the DSC thermograms of the unsonicated DODAB dispersions are dominated by two endotherms; the pre- and main transition peaks. Moreover, in literature reported the presence of a third endotherm at 52.2 °C. The main transition (Tm) is ascribed to gel to liquid-crystalline phase transition in which the alkyl chains transform from solidlike to liquid-like state.
Adsorption of polyelectrolytes on solid substrates is a surface phenomenon where long-chained polymer molecules with charged groups bind to a surface that is charged in the opposite polarity. On the molecular level, the polymers do not actually bond to the surface, but tend to "stick" to the surface via intermolecular forces and the charges created by the dissociation of various side groups of the polymer. Because the polymer molecules are so long, they have a large amount of surface area with which to contact the surface and thus do not desorb as small molecules are likely to do. This means that adsorbed layers of polyelectrolytes form a very durable coating. Due to this important characteristic of polyelectrolyte layers they are used extensively in industry as flocculants, for solubilization, as supersorbers, antistatic agents, as oil recovery aids, as gelling aids in nutrition, additives in concrete, or for blood compatibility enhancement to name a few.
In chemistry, a fatty amine is loosely defined as any amine possessing a mostly linear hydrocarbon chain of eight or more carbon atoms. They are typically prepared from the more abundant fatty acids, with vegetable or seed-oils being the ultimate starting material. As such they are often mixtures of chain lengths, ranging up to about C22. They can be classified as oleochemicals. Commercially important members include coco amine, oleylamine, tallow amine, and soya amine. These compounds and their derivatives are used as fabric softeners, froth flotation agents, corrosion inhibitors, lubricants and friction modifiers. They are also the basis for a variety of cosmetic formulations.
Polyquaternium-7 is an organic compound in the polyquaternium class of chemicals and used in the personal care industry. It is the copolymer of acrylamide and the quaternary ammonium salt diallyldimethylammonium chloride.
Fabric treatments are processes that make fabric softer, or water resistant, or enhance dye penetration after they are woven. Fabric treatments get applied when the textile itself cannot add other properties. Treatments include, scrim, foam lamination, fabric protector or stain repellent, anti microbial and flame retardant.
