Nonionic detergent

Description

A surfactant that does not dissociate, or form ions, in solution. Nonionic surfactants are made by reacting sucrose with fatty acid ester of volatile alcohols. They degrade naturally to form nontoxic wastes. Nonionic surfactants are water soluble and, because they have a neutral charge, are unaffected by dissolved minerals. Nonionic surfactants are used as wetting agents, dyes assistants and softening agents.

Synonyms and Related Terms

non-ionic detergent

Authority

• Richard C. Wolbers, Nanette T. Sterman, Chris Stavroudis, Notes for Workshop on New Methods in the Cleaning of Paintings, J.Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 1990

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 780

• Stephen R. Edwards, Bruce M. Bell, Mary Elizabeth King, Pest Control in Museums: a Status Report 1980, Association of Sytematics Collections, Washington DC, 1980

• Tom Rowland, Noel Riley, A-Z Guide to Cleaning, Conserving and Repairing Antiques, Constable and Co., Ltd., London, 1981

• Art and Architecture Thesaurus Online, http://www.getty.edu/research/tools/vocabulary/aat/, J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 2000