Electrolytes critical micelle concentration

An interesting change of the UV-absorbances with electrolyte concentration was observed for A18 and T18, as shown in Fig. 5. The molar extinction coefficient of A18 decreased by about 7% at 0.09 mM, and that of T18 about 10% at 0.16 mM. These concentrations may correspond to the critical micelle concentration, since the cmc observed from the surface tension measurements were about 0.1 mM for both A18 and T18. 

FIG. 1 Critical micelle concentration as a function of the number of carbon atoms in the hydrophobic rest of sodium a-sulfo fatty acid methyl esters. Methods O, surface tension +, conductivity A, solubilization of a dye x, solubility (all without electrolyte) , surface tension with a constant electrolyte concentration of 5 x 10"2 mol/L. (From Ref. 57.)... 

It was mentioned previously that the narrow range of concentrations in which sudden changes are produced in the physicochemical properties in solutions of surfactants is known as critical micelle concentration. To determine the value of this parameter the change in one of these properties can be used so normally electrical conductivity, surface tension, or refraction index can be measured. Numerous cmc values have been published, most of them for surfactants that contain hydrocarbon chains of between 10 and 16 carbon atoms [1, 3, 7], The value of the cmc depends on several factors such as the length of the surfactant chain, the presence of electrolytes, temperature, and pressure [7, 14], Some of these values of cmc are shown in Table 2. 

Like other emulsifiers, an EUP forms micelles at a critical micelle concentration (CMC). For comonomer-free EUP-emulsions of the (MA+HD)- type the CMC is about 5 X 10"4 g/ml [115,118]. The CMC depends on the composition and chain length of the polyester, the presence of an electrolyte [118] and the temperature. 

In MEKC, the supporting electrolyte medium contains a surfactant at a concentration above its critical micelle concentration (CMC). The surfactant self-aggregates in the aqueous medium and forms micelles whose hydrophilic head groups and hydrophobic tail groups form a nonpolar core into which the solutes can partition. The micelles are anionic on their surface, and they migrate in the opposite direction to the electroosmotic flow under the applied current. The differential partitioning of neutral molecules between the buffered aqueous mobile phase and the micellar pseudostationary phase is the sole basis for separation as the buffer and micelles form a two-phase system, and the analyte partitions between them (Smyth and McClean 1998). 

With alkali halide-TBA-W or alkali halide-PD-W systems, the parameters Bne are negative for volumes and heat capacities (see Figures 1-5 and 10). This sign seems to be the one usually observed for the interaction of a hydrophobic with a hydrophilic solute (6). At intermediate cosolvent concentration, AYe°(W — W + TBA) and AYe°(W — W + PD) deviate in the direction we would expect for hydrophobic association the volume increases sharply, and the heat capacity decreases further. Inorganic electrolytes lower the critical micelle concentration of surfactants by salting out the monomers, thus favoring micellization (25) in a similar way, in the co-sphere of a hydrophilic ion, the hydrophobic bonding between the cosolvent molecules may be enhanced. 

The concentration at which micelle formation becomes significant is called the critical micelle concentration (cmc). The one is a property of the surfactant and several other factors, including the temperature, pressure, and the presence and nature of additives, since micellization is opposed by thermal and electrostatic forces. A low cmc is produced by increasing the molecular mass of the lipophilic part of the molecule, lowering the temperature (usually), and adding electrolyte (usually). For exam-... 

Surfactants Salting in is when the addition of electrolyte to a solution of non-ionic surfactant causes the critical micelle concentration to increase. Also, addition of electrolyte to an ionic surfactant solution in a multiphase system can drive surfactant from the oil phase into the aqueous phase. Salting out is when the addition of electrolyte causes the critical micelle concentration to decrease. Also, addition of electrolyte to an ionic surfactant solution in a multiphase system can drive surfactant from the aqueous phase into the oil phase. 

The properties of surfactant at low concentration in water are similar to those of simple electrolytes except that the surface tension decreases sharply with increase in concentration. At a certain concentration, surfactant monomers assemble to form a closed aggregate (micelle) in which the hydrophobic tails are shielded from water while the hydrophilic heads face water. The critical aggregation concentration is called the critical micelle concentration (CMC) when micelles form in an aqueous medium. The CMC is a property of the surfactant. It indicates the point at which monolayer adsorption is complete and the surface active properties are at an optimum. Above the CMC, the concentrations of monomers are nearly constant. Hence, there are no significant changes in the surfactant properties of the solution since the monomers are the cause of the surface activity. Micelles have no surface activity and any increase in the surfactant concentration does not affect the number of monomers in the solution but affects the structure of micelles. 

The characteristic effect of surfactants is their ability to adsorb onto surfaces and to modify the surface properties. Both at gas/liquid and at liquid/liquid interfaces, this leads to a reduction of the surface tension and the interfacial tension, respectively. Generally, nonionic surfactants have a lower surface tension than ionic surfactants for the same alkyl chain length and concentration. The reason for this is the repulsive interaction of ionic surfactants within the charged adsorption layer which leads to a lower surface coverage than for the non-ionic surfactants. In detergent formulations, this repulsive interaction can be reduced by the presence of electrolytes which compress the electrical double layer and therefore increase the adsorption density of the anionic surfactants. Beyond a certain concentration, termed the critical micelle concentration (cmc), the formation of thermodynamically stable micellar aggregates can be observed in the bulk phase. These micelles are thermodynamically stable and in equilibrium with the monomers in the solution. They are characteristic of the ability of surfactants to solubilise hydrophobic substances. 

The concentration of AOT in all experiments was 2.5 x 10-8 M, which roughly corresponds to its critical micelle concentration (cmc) in the absence of an electrolyte. When an electrolyte is added, the cmc concentration is lowered. For the ionic strengths employed in the experiments of Sentenac and Bennatar,19 the surface tension reached saturation well before 2.5 x 10-3 M.19 It will be therefore assumed that in all those experiments, the amount of AOT adsorbed did not change and that each surfactant molecule occupies in average an area of 60 A2, which is in agreement with the values (40—70 A2) reported in the literature.22... 

In dilute aqueous solutions, surfactants have normal electrolyte or solute characteristics and are formed at the interface. As the surfactant concentration increases beyond the well-defined concentrations (i.e., critical micelle concentration, c.m.c.), the surfactant molecules become more organized aggregates and form micelles. At the c.m.c., the physicochemical characteristics of the system (osmotic pressure, turbidity, surface tension, and electrical conductivity) are suddenly changed, as shown in Figure 4.19. 

Essentially spherical micelles are not the only aggregates that can be formed in aqueous solution above the critical micelle concentration. Depending on the molecular structure of the amphiphile and the solution conditions e.g. electrolyte concentration. 

Surfactant-Oil-Electrolyte Systems. In this study we used as surfactants alpha-olefin sulfonates C. , C,., and (anionic surfactants, product of Ethyl Corp.) and Enoraet AE 1215-30 (nonionic surfactant, product of Shell Development Co.). For all easurements, the surfactant concentration was chosen at 3.16 x 10 mol/1, several times above the critical micelle concentration (cmc). These particular surfactants (and concentrations) were chosen on the basis of industrial applications (6,7,15). 

However, surfactants incorporated into the electrolyte solution at concentrations below their critical micelle concentration (CMC) may act as hydrophobic selectors to modulate the electrophoretic selectivity of hydrophobic peptides and proteins. The binding of ionic or zwitterionic surfactant molecules to peptides and proteins alters both the hydrodynamic (Stokes) radius and the effective charges of these analytes. This causes a variation in the electrophoretic mobility, which is directly proportional to the effective charge and inversely proportional to the Stokes radius. Variations of the charge-to-hydrodynamic radius ratios are also induced by the binding of nonionic surfactants to peptide or protein molecules. The binding of the surfactant molecules to peptides and proteins may vary with the surfactant species and its concentration, and it is influenced by the experimental conditions such as pH, ionic strength, and temperature of the electrolyte solution. Surfactants may bind to samples, either to the... 

We have examined the stmcture of both ionic and nonionic micelles and some of the factors that affect their size and critical micelle concentration. An increase in hydrophobic chain length causes a decrease in the cmc and increase of size of ionic and nonionic micelles an increase of polyoxyethylene chain length has the opposite effect on these properties in nonionic micelles. About 70-80% of the counterions of an ionic surfactant are bound to the micelle and the nature of the counterion can influence the properties of these micelles. Electrolyte addition to micellar solutions of ionic surfactants reduces the cmc and increases the micellar size, sometimes causing a change of shape from spherical to ellipsoidal. Solutions of some nonionic surfactants become cloudy on heating and separate reversibly into two phases at the cloud point. 

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