sulfonate
/ˈsʌlfəneɪt/
noun
- A salt or ester of sulfonic acid, used in detergents and other products.
- The factory produces sulfonates for use in industrial cleaners.
- Many laundry detergents contain sulfonates to help remove grease.
- Sulfonates are added to some shampoos to make them foam better.
verb
- To introduce a sulfonate group into a chemical compound.
- They sulfonate the compound in a special reactor at high temperature.
- The chemist will sulfonate the benzene ring to make it water-soluble.
- To produce the detergent, the manufacturer must first sulfonate the raw material.