Application of super base calcium oxide catalyst in the synthesis of stearamide surfactants by amidation

Surfactant is a substance that can reduce surface tension, which has two groups in one molecule: hydrophilic and hydrophobic. These two groups, in the same molecule, have different degrees of polarity. In this study, stearic acid was amidated with urea using a super base calcium oxide catalyst in a mixture of hexane and isopropanol solvents. The study was carried out by observing two process-independent variables: the reaction temperature in the range of 55˚C, 65˚C, and 75˚C, and the reaction time in the range of 2 hours, 3 hours, and 4 hours. Optimum conditions were obtained at a temperature of 75°C and a reaction time of 3 hours, where a conversion of 89.88% was obtained. Then the research samples were analyzed using FT-IR and super base calcium oxide catalyst and analyzed for morphological properties using SEM.