title: THE BACTERICIDAL ACTION OF SYNTHETIC DETERGENTS.
abstract: 1. The bactericidal action of a number of anionic and cationic synthetic detergents on four Gram-positive and three Gram-negative bacteria has been investigated. 2. Cationic detergents, as a group, were found to exhibit marked bactericidal effects on Gram-positive microorganisms and somewhat less pronounced action on Gram-negative organisms. 3. The anionic detergents were germicidal only against the Gram-positive organisms, and they were considerably less effective than the cationic compounds. Of the anionic detergents, the most active one was an alkyl sulfate derived from a branched-chain, secondary alcohol. 4. Correlations between bactericidal action and inhibition of bacterial metabolism, and also between bactericidal action and chemical structure of the detergents are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Walter G. Zoller Memorial Dental Clinic, the Department of Bacteriology and Parasitology, and the Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Miller