Biosurfactants - Nature's Solution for Today's Cleaning Challenges.

Biosurfactants are surface-active molecules, developed by nature through evolution and naturally produced by different microorganisms. The most prominent examples are rhamnolipids and sophorolipids, molecules which contain hydrophilic sugar head groups and hydrophobic alkyl residues leading to an amphiphilic behavior with unique properties. Recent developments in the field of biotechnology enable the large-scale production of these biological molecules. The raw material basis is 100% renewable since sugars and oils are used as major raw materials. Additionally, biosurfactants are fully biodegradable, which allows the path back into the natural cycles. In comparison to established standard surfactants like SLES/SLS (sodium laureth (ether) sulfates) or betaines, rhamnolipids are much milder and, at the same time, show similar or even better performance in household or personal care applications. Foam behavior, solubilization and cleaning effectiveness are examples where these natural substances give excellent results compared to the synthetic benchmarks. The commercialization of biosurfactants at industrial scale now offers alternatives to consumers seeking sustainable solutions, without compromising performance. Biosurfactants combine both and set a new standard for surfactant applications.

Matrix Isolation of Perfluorinated p-Benzyne.

As the first isolated derivative of 1,4-didehydrobenzene, 1,4-didehydro-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzene (1) was generated from 1,4-diiodotetrafluorobenzene (2) by photolysis at 254 nm in a neon matrix at 3 K. The 4-iodo-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenyl radical 3 is formed as an intermediate in this reaction. Both 1 and 3 were characterized by their IR spectra. Compound 1 is photolabile and undergoes a photochemical retro-Bergman reaction to 1,3,4,6-tetrafluorohex-3-ene-1,5-diyne (4) upon broad-band UV irradiation (260-320 nm).