Q.Which one of the following is not a surfactant?
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Step 1. A surfactant needs a long hydrophobic (hydrocarbon) tail attached to a genuinely ionic (or strongly polar, permanently charged) hydrophilic head, so that it can orient at an interface and lower interfacial tension.
Step 2. Option (a) is a quaternary ammonium salt — the nitrogen carries a permanent positive charge regardless of pH — a classic cationic surfactant. Option (c) is a sodium alkyl sulfate — the head is permanently ionic — a classic anionic surfactant (structurally like sodium lauryl sulfate). Option (d) is a sodium carboxylate salt of a long-chain acid — the head is permanently ionic — a classic soap-type anionic surfactant. …
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