• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.532-540
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• 2021

Sodium dodecanoyl-4-oxybenzenesulfonate (DOBS) salt is a substance that exhibits effective bleaching and antimicrobial abilities at low temperatures. A mild and efficient synthesis method of DOBS starting from dodecanoyl chloride and sodium 4-hydroxybenzene sulfonate was investigated under alkaline conditions using a water (W)-polar aprotic solvent system. First, the reaction was carried out using only water as a solvent system with the variables of temperature and time. The yield was found to be as low as about 5% in most cases under the reaction conditions of more than 30 ℃ and 1 h. In order to develop an efficient solvent system, the effect on the yield of DOBS was evaluated in various solvent systems which were prepared by changing the type of polar aprotic solvents while mixing them with the water. A solvent system in which acetone (AC) and water were mixed showed the best yield and about 82 % under mild reaction conditions (30 ℃, 1 h and atmospheric pressure) was obtained. The prepared DOBS showed good bleaching and antimicrobial activities indicating that it could be used an excellent bleach activator.