Salts of sulphonic acids and of sulphuric, phosphoric and boric acid esters containing an aliphatic chain of more than eleven p carbon atoms are extracted first with a hydrocarbon solvent to remove unattacked material, and then with alcohol for the removal of inorganic salts. The treatment of acidylaminoalkylsulphonic acids, alkylsulphamidosulphonic acids, alkylcarbalkylamidosulphonic acids, alkylamino sulphonic acids, alkyl sulphoarylamidosulphonic acids and arylsulphoalkylamidosulphonic acids is mentioned and halogen and keto derivatives are referred to. In examples: (1) commercial sodium octadecylsulphate is extracted with petroleum ether and alcohol; the product has wetting and washing properties; when used for washing living hair, cetyl or oleyl alcohol or palm oil alcohols may be added; (2) a mixture of purified octadecylsulphonate, octadecylalcohol and ammonium bicarbonate is used for washing hair which has been pretreated with lemon juice. Bleaching agents, e.g. sodium persulphate, peroxide or perborate, urea peroxide or sodium butylnaphthalenemonopersulphonate, which may be made from butylnaphthalene sulphonic acid and hydrogen peroxide or compounds which liberate carbon dioxide, e.g. ammonium or sodium carbonate may be used with the purified products. Specifications 358,612 and 407,990 are referred to. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91 comprises also washing organic materials with salts of acids containing a sulphonic or phosphoric acid group, which foam at 18--15 DEG C. and refers to the purification of (a) sodium dodecanolsulphate, triethanolaminedodecanol sulphate, cyclohexylaminetetradecanolsulphate, potassium octadecanolsulphate, ammoniumoctadecanol sulphate, ammonium chloroctodecanolsulphate, ethanol-aminecarboxyoctadecanolsulphate, sodium carboxyamidoctodecanolsulphate, ammonium carboxybutylhexadecanolsulphate, sodium octadecanoyloxyethanolsulphate; these sulphates are prepared by sulphonation of the parent compound, e.g. by means of sulphur trioxide in trichlorethane; (b) sodium dodecylsulphonate, potassium chlordodecylsulphonate, sodium octadecanoyloxyethanesulphonate and the sodium salt of the sulphuric ester of sodium oxyoctadecylsulphonate; these compounds may be made by direct sulphonation or by treating the corresponding sulphuric or hydrochloric esters with sodium sulphite; (c) sodium dodecylthiosulphate and sodium hexadecylthiosulphonate; these compounds may be made by treating the corresponding sulphates with sodium thiosulphate; (d) ammonium hexadecanolphosphate and sodium dodecylphosphate; these compounds may be made from the parent alcohols and phosphorus pentoxide; (e) sodium octadecanoylmethylaminoethanesulphonate, sodium dodecoylethylaminoethanesulphonate, potassium hexadecoylaminopropanesulphonate, sodium octadecanoylaminoethanolsulphate, sodium or triethanolaminehexadecylsulphomethylamidoethanesulphate, sodium methylenehexadecylsulphamidosulphonate, "sodium hexaoxyethanesulphonate" and sodium 5-octadecanoylamino-2-oxy-1-carboxy-phenyl-3-sulphonate; these compounds may be made by treating the parent amines with the appropriate acid chlorides or a mixture of the acids and phosphorustrichloride; (f) sodium hexadecylsulphamate; this may be made by treating the amine with pyridine and chlorsulphonic acid or with potassium pyrosulphate. For the removal of unattacked material, benzine, carbon tetrachloride, benzene and toluene are specified and for separation from the inorganic salts, ethyl ether, isopropyl alcohol and acetone may be used. In further examples: (1) sodium dodecanolsulphate is purified with petroleum ether and alcohol; for treating living hair, the purified salt may be mixed with cetyl alcohol and wool grease or dodecane chloride or hexadecanol and olive oil; (2) a mixture of ammonium hexadecanolsulphate and sodium dodecanolpermonosulphate is purified; when used for treating living hair a manganese salt or an enzyme is used to facilitate the evolution of oxygen; bleaching may be effected by means of hydrogen peroxide preferably in an acid medium produced, e.g. by means of citric or oxalic acid; (3) hair, pretreated with citric acid or lemon juice is washed with a solution containing purified sodium tetradecanolsulphate or triethanolamine, wool grease, "ethal" and sodium bicarbonate; the foam may be increased by adding sodium octanolsulphate, and lecithin, tar balsam, camomile, milk of sulphur, perfumes, colours, borates, phosphates, albumen, gelatine and astringents may also be added; (4) sulphonated oleic acid or its ester or amide is purified and used for washing hair. Washing agents containing bleaching groups such as sodium dodecanolperphosphate and sodium dodecanolpermonosulphonate which may be made from hydrogen peroxide and the sulphuric chloride may be used. The addition of hormone of bull testicles, oxalates, sugar, albumen and its decomposition products, and tanning agents is mentioned. This subject - matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.ALSO:Salts of sulphonic acids and of sulphuric, phosphoric and boric acid esters containing an aliphatic chain of more than eleven carbon atoms, which are used for washing living hair are subjected to extraction first with a hydrocarbon solvent and then with alcohol for the removal of impurities having deleterious effects on the hair. The treatment of acidylaminoalkylsulphonic acids, alkylsulphamidosulphonic acids, alkylcarbalkylamidosulphonic acids, alkylamino sulphonic acids, alkyl sulphoarylamidosulphonic acids and arylsulphoalkylamidosulphonic acids is mentioned and halogen and keto derivatives are referred to. In examples, (1) commercial sodium octadecylsulphate is extracted with petroleum ether and alcohol; when used for washing living hair, cetyl or oleyl alcohol or palm oil alcohols may be added to the product; (2) a mixture of purified octadecylsulphonate, octadecylalcohol and ammonium bicarbonate is used for washing hair which has been pretreated with lemon juice. Bleaching agents, e.g. sodium persulphate, peroxide or perborate, urea peroxide, or sodium butylnaphthalenemonopersulphonate or compounds which liberate carbon dioxide, e.g. sodium or ammonium carbonate may be used with the purified products. Specifications 358,612 and 407,990, [both in Group IV], are referred to. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91 comprises also the purification of (a) sodium dodecanolsulphate, triethanolaminedodecanol sulphate, cyclohexylaminetetradecanolsulphate, potassium octadecanolsulphate, ammoniumoctadecanol sulphate, ammonium chloroctodecanolsulphate, ethanolaminecarboxyoctadecanolsulphate, sodium carboxyamidoctodecanolsulphate, ammonium carboxybutylhexadecanolsulphate and sodium octadecanoyloxyethanolsulphate; (b) sodium dodecylsulphonate, potassium chlordodecylsulphonate, sodium octadecanoyloxyethanesulphonate and the sodium salt of the sulphuric ester of sodium oxyoctadecylsulphonate; (c) sodium dodecylthiosulphate and sodium hexadecylthiosulphonate; (d) ammonium hexadecanolphosphate and sodium dodecylphosphate; (e) sodium octadecanoylmethylaminoethanesulphonate, sodium dodecoylethylaminoethanesulphonate, potassium hexadecoylaminopropanesulphonate, sodium octadecanoylaminoethanolsulphate, sodium or triethanolaminehexadecylsulphomethylamidoethanesulphate, sodium methylenehexadecylsulphamidosulphonate, "sodium hexaoxyethanesulphonate" and sodium 5-octadecanoylamino-2-oxy-1-carboxy-phenyl-3-sulphonate; (f) sodium hexadecylsulphamate. For the removal of unattacked material, benzine, carbon tetrachloride, benzene and toluene are specified and for separation from the inorganic salts, ethyl ether, isopropyl alcohol and acetone may be used. In further examples, (1) sodium dodecanolsulphate is purified with petroleum ether and alcohol; for treating living hair the purified salt may be mixed with cetyl alcohol and wool grease or dodecane chloride or hexadecanol and olive oil; (2) a mixture of ammonium hexadecanolsulphate and sodium dodecanolpermonosulphate is purified; when used for treating living hair a manganese salt or an enzyme is used to facilitate the evolution of oxygen; bleaching may be effected by means of hydrogen peroxide preferably in an acid medium produced, e.g. by means of citric or oxalic acid; (3) hair, pretreated with citric acid or lemon juice is washed with a solution containing purified sodium tetradecanolsulphate or triethanolamine, wool grease, "ethal" and sodium bicarbonate; the foam may be increased by adding sodium octanolsulphate, and lecithin, tar balsam, camomile, milk of sulphur, perfumes, colours, borates, phosphates, albumen, gelatine and astringents may also be added; (4) sulphonated oleic acid or its ester or amide is purified and used for washing hair. Washing agents containing bleaching groups such as sodium dodecanol perphosphate and sodium dodecanolpermonosulphonate may be used. The addition of hormone of bull testicles, oxalates, sugar, albumen and its decomposition products, and tanning agents is mentioned. This subject - matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.