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S
Surfactant
S
urfactant: (1) Abbreviation for surface-active agent. The active agent in
detergents that possesses a high cleaning ability. (2) From SURFace ACTive
AgeNT. A substance that prefers to exist at the boundary between two
other substances—for example, detergents have one end highly soluble in
greasy, nonpolar substances and one end soluble in water. Sodium dodecyl
sulfate is a common surfactant. See also Emulsier. (3) A chemical that is
attracted to the surface of a uid and modies the properties such as sur-
face tension. (4) Substances with special properties that are used in deter-
gents, cosmetics, dyes, and d