Foaming agent

Abstract

A foaming agent having improved foaming performance comprised of a mixture of alkyl sulfates and alkyl ether sulfates which have the general formula: R (CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.y --SO.sub.3 M (I) wherein R is a linear and/or branched hydrocarbon moiety having a maximum molecular weight of about 169, y is an integer, representing the number of moles of ethylene oxide per mole of R and, on a percent by weight distribution of the oxyethylene oligomers, the alkyl sulfate oligomer is from about 25 to 85 percent by weight of the total oligomeric distribution, and the sum of the alkyl sulfate, alkyl mono-ether sulfate, alkyl di-ether sulfate, alkyl tri-ether sulfate, alkyl tetra-ether sulfate, and alkyl penta-ether sulfate oligomers is from about 80 to 96 percent by weight of the total oligomeric distribution; M is a cation capable of producing a water-soluble surfactant; said hydrocarbon moiety being comprised of at least about 80 percent by weight of a first anionic active species, represented by R, having a molecular weight ranging from about 100 to 156, and up to about 20 percent by weight of a second anionic active species, represented by R, having a molecular weight of up to about 86, and up to about 10 percent by weight of a third anionic active species, represented by R, having a molecular weight of about 170 or greater. A method of using this foaming agent in the making of gypsum products and the resulting gypsum products is also disclosed. The foaming agent may also be used for other purposes, for instance, as a firefighting foam.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.