SURFACTANT AND COMPOSITION CONTAINING THE SAME

摘要

A surfactant excelling in emulsification stability and sensation in use; and a novel surfactant excelling in detergency and sensation in use and being usable as a detergent of low skin irritation. There is provided a surfactant characterized by consisting of any of the compounds of the general formula: Y-O-(EO)<SUB>l</SUB>-(AO)<SUB>m</SUB>-(EO)<SUB>n</SUB>-X (1) wherein AO is a C<SUB>3</SUB>-C<SUB>4</SUB> oxyalkylene group; m is an AO average addition molar quantity (no. of moles) and satisfies 5=m=100; EO is an oxyethylene group; each of l and n is an EO average addition molar quantity (no. of moles) and satisfies 0=l=4 and 0=n=4; and either X or Y or both represent a functional group of the formula -SO<SUB>3</SUB>M, -COOM, -HPO<SUB>3</SUB>M, -(CH<SUB>2</SUB>)<SUB>q</SUB>-SO<SUB>3</SUB>M or -(CH<SUB>2</SUB>)<SUB>q</SUB>-COOM in which M is hydrogen or a monovalent inorganic or organic cation and q is the number of carbon atoms of linkage alkylene group and satisfies 1=q=4, provided that when either X or Y is the above functional group, the other one may be hydrogen, methyl or ethyl.