A sulfonate is a salt or ester of a sulfonic acid. It contains the functional group R-SO2O. Anions with the general formula RSO2O are called Sulfonate. They are the conjugate bases of sulfonic acids with formula RSO2OH. As sulfonic acids tend to be strong acids, the corresponding sulfonates are weak bases. Due to the stability of sulfonate anions, the cations of sulfonate salts such as scandium triflate have application as lewis acids. Sulfonic acid, organic compound containing the functional group RSO2OH, which consists of a sulfur atoms, S, bonded to a carbon atom, that may be part of a large aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon R, and also bonded to three oxygen atoms, O, one of which has a hydrogen atom, H, attached to it. The hydrogen atoms makes the compound acidic, much as the hydrogen of a carboxylic acid makes it acidic. However, while carboxylic acids are week, sulfonic acids are considered strong acids. The most important use of sulfonic acids salts is in the detergent industry. Sodium Salts of long-chain aliphatic or aromatic sulfonic acids are used as detergents. Unlike ordinary soaps, which contain Carboxylic acid salts, soaps containing sulfonates do not form a scum in hard water because the calcium and magnesium ions present in the hard water do not form a scum in hard water because the calcium and magnesium ions present in the hard water do not form insoluble precipitates with sulfonates as they do with carboxylates. Some sulfonate acid derivatives, e.g. the sulfa drugs, are important as antibiotics. Sodium petroleum sulfonate enjoy a good market in India and will continue to do so in the coming years. There is maximum use of sodium petroleum sulfonate in the Chemical Industry. Due to increase the use of sodium petroleum sulfonate, it can be concluded that the demand will also increase in coming years. So, there lies a great scope for further expansion in near future. Few Indian Major Players are as under: Ganesh Benzoplast Ltd. Savita Oil Technologies Ltd. Shayona Petrochem Ltd.