Benzene - micellar solubilization site

It seems likely that the cationic CPC micelles, which have a large positive charge at or near the micellar surface, interact attractively with the n-molecular orbital system of benzene, and that this interaction contributes to the fact that the solubilization constant for benzene in CPC is approximately twice as large as that in SDS micelles. A preferential interaction between cationic surfactants and aromatic solutes has been reported by several groups of investigators (25-27), and recent work in our laboratory shows that 1-hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide micelles also solubilize benzene more effectively than do the anionic alkylsulfate surfactant micelles (28). Thus, the tendency of benzene molecules to solubilize near the surface of the cationic micelles, at low XB values, may lead to a partial saturation of surface "sites" by benzene, diminishing the ability of additional benzene molecules to bind near the surface. Such an effect could be responsible for the initial increase in activity coefficient that occurs, particularly in the CPC solutions, as Xg increases. 

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