Removal of an Anionic Surfactant as an Iron(II) Complex

Abstract

This work aims to remove an anionic surfactant by complexing it with Fe(II) ion. The objective was to trap sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) by ferrous ions as a coordination complex. The isolated complex wascharacterized by spectroscopic, conductimetric and gravimetric methods to determine its structure. The results show that the complex obtained is very stable in air and has a tetrahedral geometry. Fe(II) is linked to two molecules of surfactant and two atoms of chlorine. Theoretical study of the complex structure confirms the results obtained by the experimental method. Molecular modeling aims to determine the most stable geometry and the structural parameters of the complex (bond lengths and bond angles). This work shows the efficiency of the elimination of surfactants in a homogeneous phase by complexation. Indeed, the complexation process allows eliminating 82.8% of the surfactant in an aqueous solution.