Editing Surfactant (section)

===<span class="anchor" id="Anionic"></span>Anionic: sulfate, sulfonate, and phosphate, carboxylate derivatives===
[[Anion]]ic surfactants contain anionic functional groups at their head, such as [[organosulfate|sulfate]], [[sulfonate]], [[phosphate]], and [[carboxylic acid|carboxylate]]s.
Prominent alkyl sulfates include [[ammonium lauryl sulfate]], [[sodium lauryl sulfate]] (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SLS, or SDS), and the related alkyl-ether sulfates [[sodium laureth sulfate]] (sodium lauryl ether sulfate or SLES), and [[sodium myreth sulfate]].

Others include:
* [[Alkylbenzene sulfonate]]s
* [[Docusate]] (dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate)
* [[perfluorooctanesulfonic acid|Perfluorooctanesulfonate]] (PFOS)
* [[Perfluorobutanesulfonic acid|Perfluorobutanesulfonate]]
* Alkyl-aryl ether phosphates
* Alkyl ether phosphates

Carboxylates are the most common surfactants and comprise the carboxylate salts (soaps), such as [[sodium stearate]].  More specialized species include [[sodium lauroyl sarcosinate]] and carboxylate-based fluorosurfactants such as [[perfluorononanoic acid|perfluorononanoate]], [[Perfluorooctanoic acid|perfluorooctanoate]] (PFOA or PFO).