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- Posts: 104
- Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2015 7:54 am
I have a formulation that is a combination of methyl soyate and ethyl lactate, and contains either 1 or 2 non-ionic surfactants along with the active ingredients.
The surfactants are definitely causing some interference in the chromatography. One idea I have is to utilize flocculation to remove the surfactants. I would use a solution of ferric chloride, mix it with the formulation which should hopefully precipitate the surfactants, then possibly centrifuge and proceed as normal with sample preparation.
I have never worked with removing a surfactant or doing any kind of flocculation and all of the papers I have read seem to reference waste-water clean up.
So I guess my question(s) to everyone is - has anyone performed any kind of precipitation reaction for surfactants and what effect did it have on your active ingredients or recovery? Did you notice it was difficult if the formulation itself that contained the surfactants was not completely aqueous? If anyone has any insight before I start my trial and error, that would be a big help! Thanks!