Preface

In the 200 years since Thomas Graham founded the discipline of colloid science, a vast number of terms have come to be associated with colloid and interface science and, in particular, with the sub-discipline of surfactant science. In addition to the fundamental science, there is a great diversity of occurrences and properties of surfactants in industry and in everyday life. This chapter provides brief explanations for the most important terms that may be encountered in a study of the fundamental principles, experimental investigations, and petroleum industry-related applications of surfactant science. Specific literature citations are given when the sources for further information are particularly useful or unique. For terms drawn from fundamental colloid and interface science, much reliance was placed on the recommendations of the IUPAC Commission on Colloid and Surface Chemistry. For more comprehensive dictionaries and glossaries of terms in colloid and interface science, see references.

Terms

Acid Number. See Total Acid Number.

ACN. Alkane carbon number, see Equivalent Alkane Carbon Number.

Activator. Any agent that may be used in froth flotation to enhance selectively the effectiveness of collectors for certain mineral components. See also Froth Flotation.

Active Surfactant. The primary surfactant in a detergent formulation. See also Detergent.

Adhesion. The attachment of one phase to another.

Admicelle. See Hemimicelle.

Adsolubilization. A surface analog of micellar solubilization in which adsorbed surfactant bilayers (admicelles) absorb solutes from solution. Example: the partitioning of sparingly soluble organic molecules from water into admicelles.