cation in the quaternary ammoniumalkyl salts include but are not limited to alkyldimethylbenzylammonium in which the alkyl group contains 1 25 carbon atoms didecyldimethylammonium alkyltrimethylammonium octyldecyldimethylammonium dioctyldimethylammonium didecylmethylpropylammonium didecylmethylbutylammonium benzylhexadecyldimethylammonium didecylmethyl 4 chlorobenzylammonium didecylmethyl 3 4 dichlorobenzylammonium decyloctyldimethylammonium decyloctylbenzylmethylammonium decyldodecyldimethylammonium decyldodecylethylmethylammonium dodecylbenzyldimethylammonium tetradecylbenzyldimethylammonium diundecyldimethylammonium dinonylhydroxyethylmethylammonium didecylhydroxypropylmethylammonium and diundecyldihydroxyethylammonium and combinations thereof blends of compounds containing dioctyl didodecyl and decyloctyl compounds or didecyl didodecyl and decyldodecyl compounds may also be used these cations can be combined with any of the anions that is those represented by x in the above formula preferred quaternary ammonium alkyl salts are alkyldimethylbenzylammonium lauryl sulfate barquat ls and didecyldimethylammonium lauryl sulfate dda ls and the corresponding alkyl carboxylate the sulfonate phosphate and phosphite salts of the quaternary ammonium alkyl salts are also of interest these are new compositions of matter a preferred quaternary ammonium lauryl sulfate is an alkyldimethylbenzyl ammonium lauryl sulfate containing an allyl group containing 8 to 22 carbon atoms alkyldimethylbenzyl ammonium lauryl sulfate may be made by processes known to those skilled in the art an alkyldimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride may be reacted with sodium lauryl sulfate in water at a temperature of about 60 u00b0 c a white precipitate of alkyldimethylbenzyl ammonium lauryl sulfate is formed after about half an hour the reaction is as follows wherein r is a c 1 c 25 alkyl group preferably a c 10 c 12 group the reaction temperature ranges from 20 u00b0.