ABSTRACT
This chapter provides monoisomeric model compounds as guides for more commercially viable species and identifies a number of species that are, or potentially are, commercially viable mimics of the model species. Although the main thrust of the research was to understand ultralow interfacial tensions, it was decided to carry out a concurrent investigation of microemulsion phase behavior. At the most fundamental level, it is important to identify the type of microemulsion that tends to form under various conditions of temperature, added electrolyte, or cosolvent. Conventional wisdom held that by adding surfactants that reduced the interfacial tension to ultralow values, the effectiveness of water-flooding would be greatly enhanced. Branching the hydrophobes yields a more lipophilic product, one less prone to form liquid crystals, one that produces less stable emulsions, one with a greater tolerance for electrolytes, but one that is less capable of reducing the interfacial tension.
