surface active agents and detergents 34 vol 1 and 2 by schwartz perry and berch the total amount of the surface active compounds can be up to 50 by weight preferably from 1 by weight to 40 by weight in particular from 4 by weight to 25 by weight synthetic anionic surface active substances are usually water soluble alkali metal salts of organic sulfates and sulfonates having c 8 c 22 alkyl radicals the term 34 alkyl 34 including the alkyl substituents of higher aryl radicals examples of suitable anionic detergents are sodium and ammonium alkylsulfates especially the sulfates obtained by sulfating higher c 8 to c 18 alcohols sodium and ammonium alkylbenzenesulfonates having a c 9 c 20 alkyl radical especially linear secondary sodium alkylbenzenesulfonates having a c 10 c 15 alkyl radical sodium alkyl glycerol ether sulfates especially the esters of the higher alcohols derived from tallow oil and coconut oil the sodium sulfates and sodium sulfonates of coconut fatty acid monoglycerides sodium and ammonium salts of the sulfuric esters of higher c 9 to c 18 alkoxylated fatty alcohols especially those alkoxylated with ethylene oxide the reaction products of the esterification of fatty acids with isethionic acid and subsequent neutralization with sodium hydroxide sodium and ammonium salts of the fatty acid amides of methyltaurine alkanemonosulfonates such as those from the reaction of u03b1 olefins c 8 c 20 with.