New Types of Nonionic Surfactants with Sugar Head Groups

The head group/lipophilic tail ratio is used to categorize amphiphilic compounds into different types. Some representatives of the 2/1 type with two sugar head groups and one lipophilic chain, namely compounds 6a – d , were synthesized from readily available precursors. Similarly, from 2,3‐di‐ O ‐alkyl and 1,3‐di‐ O ‐alkyl derivatives of D ‐threitol 2/2‐type amphiphiles 13a – d , 15a – d and 20a – d , respectively, were obtained. Due to the different spatial demand of the sugar moieties relative to the lipophilic part, surface tension (σ) and critical micelle concentration (cmc) are clearly distinguished in these different structural types of nonionic surfactants.