Bactericidal properties of quaternary ammonium compounds in dispersed systems.

Alkyltrimethylammonium bromides of selected chain length were synthesized and characterized with respect to their bactericidal properties. A partitioning method was developed, and the aqueous phases of the partitioned systems were evaluated for their antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The relationships between the quaternary ammonium compound chain length and the aliphatic alcohol chain length were determined. The effect of selected hydrocarbons on the bactericidal effectiveness of the systems was studied. Cream systems corresponding to the partitioned systems were prepared and evaluated against S. aureus. The relationship between the aqueous phase concentration of the bactericidal agent was studied, and a correlation was shown between the bactericidal activity of the partitioned systems and cream systems.