ABSTRACT
Surfactants represent one of the major types of adjuvants used with agrochemicals. The classical technique of Longwell and Maniece for quantifying ionic surfactants involves the formation of 1:1 molar complex between these large water-soluble ions and the oppositely charged ions of a water-soluble dye. Anionic and cationic surfactants can be separated by various thin layer chromatography methods, and certain quantifications are possible. Ionic surfactants present in mixtures can be isolated using ion exchangers that retain anionic or cationic materials followed by elution with appropriate ionic solutions; nonionic surfactants are not retained. A wide variety of metabolites from labeled nonionic surfactants have been recovered from treated tissues. When extracted from plant tissues, however, the surfactants or their metabolites are at very low concentrations. Nuclear magnetic resonance analyses can provide information about the various functional groups present in impure or purified surfactants.
