Synthesis and characterization of imidazolinium surfactants derived from tallow fatty acids and diethylenetriamine

Abstract This paper describes the synthesis of long‐chain dialkylamido imidazolines based on tallow fatty acids and diethylenetriamine, followed by their quaternization. Imidazolines were obtained by non‐solvent microwave synthesis using calcium oxide as support, which were then quaternized by using dimethyl sulfate as a quaternizing agent and iso ‐propanol as a solvent, to produce cationic imidazolinium salts. The synthesized cationic imidazoline surfactants were evaluated for yield and cationic content. The instrumental techniques, viz. FT‐IR and 1 H‐NMR, verified the formation of imidazolines and their subsequent quaternization. The surface‐active and performance properties of the cationic imidazolines in terms of critical micelle concentration, surface tension, dispersibility, emulsion stability, softening, rewettability and antistatic properties were also reported.