Separation and determination of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS), α-olefin sulfonates (AOS), and alkanesulfonates (SAS) were studied by TLC, GLC, and NMR. The studies of LAS-AOS and LAS-SAS mixture were already reported^{4), 5)}. This paper describes about AOS-SAS and LAS-AOS-SAS mixture.
1) AOS-SAS. The mixture of AOS (hydrogenated), a primary sulfonate, and SAS, a secondary sulfonate, was esterified and separated by the same procedure we previously reported about a mixture of LAS and AOS. Isolated AOS from TLC plate was converted to trimethylsilyl derivative and analyzed by GLC with a 2% OV-17 0.5m column. The quantity of AOS in the mixture was calculated from the peak area of AOS in comparison to that of dodecyl pentaoxyethylene ether, a internal standard added before TLC separation. SAS was converted to thiol derivative and also analyzed by GLC with an OV-101 40m glass capillary column.
2) LAS-AOS-SAS. These components were divided into AOS and (LAS+SAS) by TLC in a form of methyl ester. (LAS+SAS) was converted to alkylphenol and olefin by alkali fusion, respectively, and was separated by column chromatography. Isolated LAS, AOS, and SAS were analyzed as alkylphenol (acetate), TMS and olefin derivative, respectively, by the GLC method already described.
Quantitation of the three components was carried out by comparing the ratio of LAS to (AOS+SAS) before TLC separation, and the ratio of LAS to SAS after TLC separation by NMR.
Analytical results of alkyl homolog distributions and the ratios of each component were both satisfactory.