Silanol-based surfactants: synthetic access and properties of an innovative class of environmentally benign detergents.

Herein, environmentally friendly surfactants based on new silanols as substitutes for the isoelectronic phosphonates were explored. Surface tensions of aqueous solutions are significantly reduced, particularly with those silanols that feature a high ratio of organic moiety to silanol. Besides their use as surfactants, their potential as coating agents for hydrophilic oxide surfaces was investigated for the example of glass substrates.

Silanetriols as in vitro inhibitors for AChE.

Three stable silanetriols with increasing steric protection of the silicon atom have been tested for inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). For all tested silanetriols we found reversible inhibition of the AChE activity at a 100 μM concentration. The highest inhibition rate was found for the sterically least hindered cyclohexylsilanetriol with 45% inhibition relative to galanthamine hydrobromide for which an IC(50) value of 121 ± 3 μM was determined as well.