Surfactants are one of many different compounds that make up a detergent. Nonionic surfactants do not bear an electrical charge and are often used together with anionic surfactants. Nonionic surfactants account for nearly 50% of surfactant production. Nonionic surfactants are more surface active and better emulsifiers than anionic surfactants at similar concentrations. They are less soluble than anionic surfactants in hot water and produce less foam. They are more efficient in removing oily and organic dirt. Nonionics are used in fabric washing detergents, hard surface cleaners and in many industrial processes such as emulsion polymerization and agrochemical formulations.

The HI96780-25 are high-quality reagents that are pre-measured, allowing for users to achieve fast and accurate colorimetric measurements. These reagents use an adaptation of TBPE Method. Nonionic surfactants (ethoxylates with 3 to 20 ether bridges) react with the indicator TBPE to form a green complex, which is then extracted in dichloromethane and photometrically evaluated. This method has a strong temperature and pH dependence. The sample temperature must be between 20 and 22°C, and the pH between 4 and 9.