ELECTROSPRAY MASS-SPECTROMETRIC ANALYSIS AND PHOTOCATALYTIC DEGRADATION OF POLYETHOXYLATE SURFACTANTS USED IN WOOL SCOURING

Electrospray mass spectrometry (ESMS) has been used to identify the mi xture of components in three nonionic surfactants, nonylphenol ethoxyl ate (NPE), secondary alcohol ethoxylate (SAE), and primary alcohol eth oxylate (PAE). In each case singly protonated species are observed wit h the number of ethylene oxide units ranging from 4 to 16. Collisional ly activated decomposition of protonated SAE leads to cleavage of the secondary carbon-oxygen bond to give protonated ethylene oxide fragmen t ions. ESMS is used to show that the products of the photocatalytic d ecomposition of SAE are the same as those produced by the collisionall y activated decompositions. The surfactants can also be singly ionised in solution by addition of sodium or potassium ions, and the products observed by ESMS.