Alkyl polyglycosides (APGs) are a class of non-ionic surfactants widely used in a variety of cosmetic, household, and industrial applications. Biodegradable and plant-derived from sugars, these surfactants are usually glucose derivatives, and fatty alcohols. The raw materials are typically starch and

fat In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple est ...

, and the final products are typically complex mixtures of compounds with different sugars comprising the

hydrophilic A hydrophile is a molecule or other molecular entity that is attracted to water molecules and tends to be dissolved by water.Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon'' Oxford: Clarendon Press. In contrast, hydrophobes are ...

end and alkyl groups of variable length comprising the

hydrophobic In chemistry, hydrophobicity is the physical property of a molecule that is seemingly repelled from a mass of water (known as a hydrophobe). In contrast, hydrophiles are attracted to water. Hydrophobic molecules tend to be nonpolar and, t ...

end. When derived from

glucose Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula . Glucose is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, u ...

, they are known as alkyl polyglucosides.

Uses

APG is used to enhance the formation of foams in detergents. It is also used in the personal care industry because it is biodegradable and safe for sensitive skin.

Preparation

Alkyl glycosides are produced by combining a sugar such as

with a fatty alcohol in the presence of acid catalysts at elevated temperatures.Vishal Y. Joshi, Manohar R. Sawant, Novel stereo controlled glycosylation of 1,2,3,4,6-penta-o-acetyl-b-D-glucopyranoside using MgO–ZrO2 as an environmentally benign catalyst, Catalysis Communications 8 (2007) 1910–1916

References

{{reflist Glycosides Non-ionic surfactants