An example of how to use AOT reverse micelle interfaces to control a photoinduced intramolecular charge-transfer process

6-Propionyl-2-(N,N-dimethyl)aminonaphtahalene, PRODAN, is widely used as a fluorescent molecular probe due to its significant Stokes shift in polar solvents. It is an aromatic compound with intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) states which can be particularly useful as sensors. In this work, we performed absorption, steady-state, time-resolved fluorescence (TRES), and time-resolved area normalized emission (TRANES) spectroscopies on PRODAN dissolved in nonaqueous reverse micelles. The reverse micelles are composed of polar solvents/sodium 1,4-bis-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT)/n-heptane. Sequestered polar solvents included ethylene glycol (EG), propylene glycol (PG), glycerol (GY), formamide (FA), dimethylformamide (DMF), and dimethylacetamide (DMA). The experiments were performed with varying surfactant concentrations at a fixed molar ratio W(S) = [polar solvent]/[AOT]. In every reverse micelle studied, the results show that PRODAN undergoes a partition process between the external solvent and the reverse micelle interface. The partition constants, K(p), are quantified from the changes in the PRODAN emission and/or absorption spectra with the surfactant concentration. The K(p) values depend strongly on the encapsulated polar solvent and correlate quite well with the AOT reverse micelle interface's zones where PRODAN can exist and emits. Thus, the partition toward the reverse micelle interface is strongly favored in DMF and DMA containing micelles where the PRODAN emission comes only from an ICT state. For GY/AOT reverse micelles, the K(p) value is the lowest and only emission from the local excited (LE) state is observed. On the other hand, for EG/AOT, PG/AOT, and water/AOT reverse micelles, the K(p) values are practically the same and emission from both states (LE and ICT) is simultaneously detected. We show here that it is possible to control the PRODAN state emission by simply changing the properties of the AOT reverse micelle interfaces by choosing the appropriate polar solvent to make the reverse micelle media. Indeed, we present experimental evidence with the answer to the long time question about from which state does PRODAN emit, a process that can be controlled using the unique reverse micelle interfaces properties.     

Effect of Confinement on the Properties of Sequestered Mixed Polar Solvents: Enzymatic Catalysis in Nonaqueous 1,4‐Bis‐2‐ethylhexylsulfosuccinate Reverse Micelles

The influence of different glycerol, N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) and water mixtures encapsulated in 1,4‐bis‐2‐ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT)/n‐heptane reverse micelles (RMs) on the enzymatic hydrolysis of 2‐naphthyl acetate by α‐chymotrypsin is demonstrated. In the case of the mixtures with DMF and protic solvents it has been previously shown, using absorption, emission and dynamic light‐scattering techniques, that solvents are segregated inside the polar core of the RMs. Protic solvents anchor to the AOT, whereas DMF locates to the polar core of the aggregate. Thus, DMF not only helps to solubilize the hydrophobic substrate, increasing its effective concentrations but surprisingly, it does not affect the enzyme activity. The importance of ensuring the presence of RMs, encapsulation of the polar solvents and the corrections by substrate partitioning in order to obtain reliable conclusions is highlighted. Moreover, the effect of a constrained environment on solvent–solvent interactions in homogenous media and its impact on the use of RMs as nanoreactors is stressed.     

The use of acridine orange base (AOB) as molecular probe to characterize nonaqueous AOT reverse micelles

The behavior of acridine orange base (AOB) in nonaqueous reverse micelles composed of n-heptane/AOT/polar solvent has been performed. Ethylene glycol (EG), propylene glycol (PG), glycerol (GY), formamide (FA), dimethylformamide (DMF), and dimethylacetamide (DMA) were employed as water substitutes. The studies were performed by static and time-resolved emission spectroscopy. Thus, the distribution of AOB between the two pseudophases of the aggregates was quantified by measuring the partition constants from emission spectra at different surfactant concentration. Similar values to those obtained by means of absorption spectroscopy were obtained. This match is indicating that AOB is not experiencing partition during the lifetime of the excited state. Partitioning to the micelles is strongly favored in micelles containing hydrogen-bond donor (HBD) solvents rather than non-HBD solvents. Variations of fluorescence lifetimes with AOT concentration confirm these results. By the solvatochromic behavior of AOB in the different systems it is shown that the microenvironment at the interface is distinct from that of the bulk polar solvent, indicating that the probe senses no "free" solvent. The steady state anisotropy (r) was measured for EG/AOT/n-heptane and DMF/AOT/n-heptane systems as representatives for HBD and non-HBD polar solvents, respectively. The value of r is higher in the micelles containing EG than that obtained with DMF, and increases with AOT concentration. This is explained as due to highly structured polar solvents in the inner core. EG is interacting with the polar heads of AOT through hydrogen-bond interaction, while DMF can only interact with the Na+ counterions. This is confirmed by the time-resolved emission spectra (TRES) of the probe in the micellar systems, in comparison with the bulk solvents.     

Effect of the Constrained Environment on the Interactions between the Surfactant and Different Polar Solvents Encapsulated within AOT Reverse Micelles

Herein, we report a study of the interactions between different nonaqueous polar solvents, namely, ethylene glycol (EG), propylene glycol (PG), glycerol (GY), dimethylformamide (DMF), and dimethylacetamide (DMA), and the polar heads of sodium 1,4‐bis‐2‐ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT) in nonaqueous AOT/n‐heptane reverse micelles. The goal of our study is to gain insights into the unique reverse‐micelle microenvironment created upon encapsulation of these polar solvents. For the first time, the study is focused on determining which regions of the AOT molecular structure are involved in the interactions with the polar solvents. We use FTIR spectroscopy—a noninvasive technique—to follow the changes in the AOT C?O band and the symmetric and asymmetric SO₃^? vibration modes upon increasing the content of polar solvents in the micelles. The results show that GY interacts through H bonds with the SO₃^? group, thereby removing the Na⁺ counterions from the interface remaining in the polar core of the micelles. PG and EG interact through H bonds, mainly with the C?O group of AOT, penetrating into the oil side of the interface. Thus, they interact weakly with the Na⁺ counterion, which seems to be close to the AOT sulfonate group. Finally, DMF and DMA, encapsulated inside the reverse micelles, interact neither with the C?O nor with the SO₃^? groups, but their weakly bulk‐associated structure is broken because of the interactions with Na⁺. We suggest that DMF and DMA can complex the Na⁺ ions through their carbonyl and nitrogen groups. Hence, our results do not only give insights into how the constrained environment affects the bulk properties of polar solvents encapsulated within reverse micelles but—more importantly—they also help us to answer the tricky question about which regions of the AOT moiety are involved in the interactions with the polar solvents. We believe that our results show a clear picture of the interactions present at the nonaqueous reverse‐micelle interface; this is important because these media are interesting nanoreactors for heterogeneous chemistry, templates for nanoparticles, and models for membranes.     

Dynamics of solvent and rotational relaxation of glycerol in the nanocavity of reverse micelles

The dynamics of solvent and rotational relaxation of Coumarin 480 and Coumarin 490 in glycerol containing bis-2-ethyl hexyl sulfosuccinate sodium salt (AOT) reverse micelles have been investigated with steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. We observed slower solvent relaxation of glycerol confined in the nanocavity of AOT reverse micelles compared to that in pure glycerol. However, the slowing down in the solvation time on going from neat glycerol to glycerol confined reverse micelles is not comparable to that on going from pure water or acetonitrile to water or acetonitrile confined AOT reverse micellar aggregates. While solvent relaxation times were found to decrease with increasing glycerol content in the reverse micellar pool, rotational relaxation times were found to increase with increase in glycerol content.     

The effect of different interfaces and confinement on the structure of the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide entrapped in cationic and anionic reverse micelles

The behavior of the ionic liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([bmim][Tf(2)N]) entrapped in two reverse micelles (RMs) formed in an aromatic solvent as dispersant pseudophase: [bmim][Tf(2)N]/benzyl-n-hexadecyldimethylammonium chloride (BHDC)/chlorobenzene and [bmim][Tf(2)N]/sodium 1,4-bis-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT)/chlorobenzene, was investigated using dynamic light scattering (DLS), FT-IR and (1)H NMR spectroscopies. DLS results reveal the formation of RMs containing [bmim][Tf(2)N] as a polar component since the droplet size values increase as the W(s) (W(s) = [[bmim][Tf(2)N]]/[surfactant]) increases. Furthermore, it shows that the RMs consist of discrete spherical and non-interacting droplets of [bmim][Tf(2)N] stabilized by the surfactants. Important differences in the structure of [bmim][Tf(2)N] entrapped inside BHDC RMs, in comparison with the neat IL, are observed from the FT-IR and (1)H NMR measurements. The electrostatic interactions between anions and cations from [bmim][Tf(2)N] and BHDC determine the solvent structure encapsulated inside the nano-droplets. It seems that the IL structure is disrupted due to the electrostatic interaction between the [Tf(2)N](-) and the cationic BHDC polar head (BHD(+)) giving a high ion pair degree between BHD(+) and [Tf(2)N](-) at a low IL content. On the other hand, for the AOT RMs there is no evidence of strong IL-surfactant interaction. The electrostatic interaction between the SO(3)(-) group and the Na(+) counterion in AOT seems to be stronger than the possible [bmim](+)-SO(3)(-) interaction at the interface. Thus, the structure of [bmim][Tf(2)N] encapsulated is not particularly disrupted by the anionic surfactant at all W(s) studied, in contrast to the BHDC RM results. Nevertheless, there is evidence of confinement in the AOT RMs because the [bmim](+)-[Tf(2)N](-) interaction is stronger than in bulk solution. Thus, the IL is more associated upon confinement. Our results reveal that the [bmim][Tf(2)N] structure can be modified in a different manner inside RMs by varying the kind of surfactant used to create the RMs and the IL content (W(s)). These facts can be very important if these media are used as nanoreactors because unique microenvironments can be easily created by simply changing the RM components and W(s).     

Exciplex mediated photoinduced electron transfer reactions of phthalocyanine-fullerene dyads

Evidences of an intramolecular exciplex intermediate in a photoinduced electron transfer (ET) reaction of double-linked free-base and zinc phthalocyanine-C60 dyads were found. This was the first time for a dyad with phthalocyanine donor. Excitation of the phthalocyanine moiety of the dyads results in rapid ET from phthalocyanine to fullerene via an exciplex state in both polar and nonpolar solvents. Relaxation of the charge-separated (CS) state Pc(*+)-C60(*-) in a polar solvent occurs directly to the ground state in 30-70 ps. In a nonpolar solvent, roughly 20% of the molecules undergo transition from the CS state to phthalocyanine triplet state (3)Pc*-C60 before relaxation to the ground state. Formation of the CS state was confirmed with electron spin resonance measurements at low temperature in both polar and nonpolar solvent. Reaction schemes for the photoinduced ET reactions of the dyads were completed with rate constants obtained from the time-resolved absorption and emission measurements and with state energies obtained from the fluorescence, phosphorescence, and voltammetric measurements.     

The role of molecular size in the excited state behavior of aminocoumarin dyes in restricted media--2: study of BC I in AOT-formamide reversed micelles

Ground and excited state properties of a pre-twisted 7-diethylaminocoumarin dye (BC I) belonging to the family of coumarinyl benzopyrano pyridines are reported in isooctane-AOT-formamide reversed micelles. In reversed micelles, BC I, albeit soluble in formamide, is found to remain out of the polar solvent pool. But the photophysical properties of the probe dye are sensitive to the changes in the polarity of the interfacial region caused by increase in F0 = [formamide]/[AOT]. The spectroscopic properties and dynamics are indicative of dual emission due to the solubilization of the dye in two different environments (the nonpolar solvent and the interfacial region). Results of the steady-state fluorescence anisotropy experiments also support the presence of two different environments. The present study once again proves that molecular size is an important parameter in the study of the photophysical properties of the flexible aminocoumarin dyes in reversed micelles.     

Entropic changes control the charge separation process in triads mimicking photosynthetic charge separation

Laser-induced optoacoustic spectroscopy (LIOAS) measurements with carotene-porphyrin-acceptor "supermolecular" triads (C-P-A, with A = C60, a naphthoquinone NQ, and a naphthoquinone derivative, Q) were carried out with the purpose of analyzing the thermodynamic parameters for the formation and decay of the respective long-lived charge separated state C*+-P-A*-. The novel procedure of inclusion of the benzonitrile solutions of the triads in Triton X-100 micelle nanoreactors suspended in water permitted the separation of the enthalpic and structural volume change contributions to the LIOAS signals, by performing the measurements in the range 4-20 degrees C. Contractions of 4.2, 5.7, and 4.2 mL mol-1 are concomitant with the formation of C*+-P-A*- for A = C60, Q and NQ, respectively. These contractions are mostly attributed to solvent movements and possible conformational changes upon photoinduced electron transfer, due to the attraction of the oppositely charged ends, as a consequence of the giant dipole moment developed in these compounds upon charge separation ( approximately 110 D). The estimations combining the calculated free energies and the LIOAS-derived enthalpy changes indicate that entropy changes, attributed to solvent movements, control the process of electron transfer for the three triads, especially for C-P-C60 and C-P-Q. The heat released during the decay of 1 mol of charge separated state (CS) is much smaller than the respective enthalpy content obtained from the LIOAS measurements for the CS formation. This is attributed to the production of long-lived energy storing species upon CS decay.     

Does bimolecular charge recombination in highly exergonic electron transfer afford the triplet excited state or the ground state of a photosensitizer?

The investigations were made on photoinduced electron transfer (ET) from the singlet excited state of rubrene (1RU*) to p-benzoquinone derivatives (duroquinone, 2,5-dimethyl-p-benzoquinone, p-benzoquinone, 2,5-dichloro-p-benzoquinone, and p-chloranil) in benzonitrile (PhCN) by using the steady state and time-resolved spectroscopies. The photoinduced ET produces solvent-separated type charge-separated (CS) species and the charge-recombination (CR) process between RU radical cation and semiquinone radical anions obeys second-order kinetics. Not only the CS species but also the triplet excited state of RU (3RU*) is seen in the transient absorption spectra upon laser excitation of a PhCN solution of RU and p-benzoquinone derivatives. The comparison of their time profiles clearly suggests that the CR process between RU radical cation and semiquinone radical anions to the ground state is independent from the deactivation of 3RU*. This indicates that the CR in a highly exergonic ET occurs at a longer distance with a large solvent reorganization energy, which results in faster ET to the ground state than to the triplet excited state that is lower in energy than the CS state. Photoinduced ET from 3RU* in addition from 1RU* also occurs when p-benzoquinone derivatives with electron-withdrawing substituents were employed as electron acceptors.     

Spectral characteristics of 2-(4'-N,N-dimethylaminophenyl)pyrido[3,4-d]imidazole in AOT/n-heptane/water reverse micelles.

Spectral characteristics of 2-(4'-N,N-dimethylaminophenyl)pyrido[3,4-d]imidazole (DMAPPI) have been studied in AOT/n-heptane/water reverse micelles at w0 > or = 0. Absorption, fluorescence excitation and fluorescence spectra have revealed that the monocation (MC) of DMAPPI, protonated at the imidazole nitrogen (MC2) (Scheme 2) is present in the S0 state at w0 = 0, along with the MC, protonated at pyridine nitrogen (MC3) and only normal emission is observed from both MC2 and MC3. With increase in w0 (water amount), the equilibrium is shifted towards the MC, protonated at -NMe2 group (MC1) and MC3 in the S0 state. Biprotonic phototautomerism is observed in MC1 to generate MC2 in the S1 state. The twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) emission replaces the normal emission in MC3. All the MCs are present near the anionic polar head group of AOT in the bound water region.     

Photoinduced omega-bond dissociation in the higher excited singlet (S2) and lowest triplet (T1) states of a benzophenone derivative in solution

Photochemical properties of photoinduced omega-bond dissociation in p-benzoylbenzyl phenyl sulfide (BBPS) in solution were investigated by time-resolved EPR and laser flash photolysis techniques. BBPS was shown to undergo photoinduced omega-bond cleavage to yield the p-benzoylbenzyl radical (BBR) and phenyl thiyl radical (PTR) at room temperature. The quantum yield (phi(rad)) for the radical formation was found to depend on the excitation wavelength, i.e., on the excitation to the excited singlet states, S2 and S1 of BBPS; phi(rad)(S2) = 0.65 and phi(rad)(S1) = 1.0. Based on the CIDEP data, these radicals were found to be produced via the triplet state independent of excitation wavelength. By using triplet sensitization of xanthone, the efficiency (alpha(rad)) of the C-S bond fission in the lowest triplet state (T1) of BBPS was determined to be unity. The agreement between phi(rad)(S1) and alpha(rad) values indicates that the C-S bond dissociation occurs in the T1 state via the S1 state due to a fast intersystem crossing from the S1 to the T1 state. In contrast, the wavelength dependence of the radical yields was interpreted in terms of the C-S bond cleavage in the S2 state competing with internal conversion from the S2 to the S1 state. The smaller value of phi(rad)(S2) than that of phi(rad)(S1) was proposed to originate from the geminate recombination of singlet radical pairs produced by the bond dissociation via the S2 state. Considering the electronic character of the excited and dissociative states in BBPS showed a schematic energy diagram for the omega-bond dissociation of BBPS.     

Temperature-dependent mechanistic transition for photoinduced electron transfer modulated by excited-state vibrational relaxation dynamics

The electron transfer (ET) dynamics of an unusually rigid pi-stacked (porphinato)zinc(II)-spacer-quinone (PZn-Q) system, [5-[8'-(4' '-[8' '-(2' ' ',5' ' '-benzoquinonyl)-1' '-naphthyl]-1' '-phenyl)-1'-naphthyl]-10,20-diphenylporphinato]zinc(II) (2a-Zn), in which sub-van der Waals interplanar distances separate juxtaposed porphyryl, aromatic bridge, and quinonyl components of this assembly, have been measured by ultrafast pump-probe transient absorption spectroscopy over a 80-320 K temperature range in 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF) solvent. Analyses of the photoinduced charge-separation (CS) rate data are presented within the context of several different theoretical frameworks. Experiments show that at higher temperatures the initially prepared 2a-Zn vibronically excited S1 state relaxes on an ultrafast time scale, and ET is observed exclusively from the equilibrated lowest-energy S1 state (CS1). As the temperature decreases, production of the photoinduced charge-separated state directly from the vibrationally unrelaxed S1 state (CS2) becomes competitive with the vibrational relaxation time scale. At the lowest experimentally interrogated temperature ( approximately 80 K), CS2 defines the dominant ET pathway. ET from the vibrationally unrelaxed S1 state is temperature-independent and manifests a subpicosecond time constant; in contrast, the CS1 rate constant is temperature-dependent, exhibiting time constants ranging from 4x10(10) s(-1) to 4x10(11) s(-1) and is correlated strongly with the temperature-dependent solvent dielectric relaxation time scale over a significant temperature domain. Respective electronic coupling matrix elements for each of these photoinduced CS1 and CS2 pathways were determined to be approximately 50 and approximately 100 cm-1. This work not only documents a rare, if not unique, example of a system where temperature-dependent photoinduced charge-separation (CS) dynamics from vibrationally relaxed and unrelaxed S1 states can be differentiated, but also demonstrates a temperature-dependent mechanistic transition of photoinduced CS from the nonadiabatic to the solvent-controlled adiabatic regime, followed by a second temperature-dependent mechanistic evolution where CS becomes decoupled from solvent dynamics and is determined by the extent to which the vibrationally unrelaxed S1 state is populated.     

SPECTROSCOPIC AND DYNAMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF FMN IN REVERSED MICELLES ENTRAPPED WATER POOLS

Abstract— The encapsulation of FMN in surfactant entrapped water pools resulted into specific interactions of FMN with the polar head groups, the entrapped water molecules and the outer apolar solvent. Two positively charged surfactant/solvent systems were employed: dodecyl ammonium propionate (DAP) in toluene and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in chloroform/ n -octane (6:5, vol/vol). Also a surfactant with a negatively charged polar head group, sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) in n -octane, was used. In CTAB and especially DAP reversed micellar systems the light absorption spectra revealed the localization of the flavin in a more apolar environment, while in AOT reversed micelles FMN appeared to reside mainly in the core of the water pool. The fluorescence spectra showed unresolved bands, which were blue-shifted in DAP and CTAB reversed micelles as compared to the spectra of aqueous FMN solutions. The fluorescence decay kinetics of FMN in enclosed water droplets is non-exponential. The heterogeneity can be explained assuming incomplete relaxation of partly immobilized water molecules during the lifetime of the excited singlet state. The relatively high anisotropy of the fluorescence of FMN in encapsulated water indicated a higher viscosity than in bulk water. This was confirmed by anisotropy decay measurements of FMN in DAP and AOT entrapped water, for which the rotational correlation times were much longer than for FMN in plain water.     

Effect of the Media on the Quantum Yield of Singlet Oxygen (O2(1Δg)) Production by 9H‐Fluoren‐9‐one: Microheterogeneous Systems

The quantum yield (Φ_Δ) of singlet oxygen (O₂(¹Δ_g) production by 9H‐fluoren‐9‐one (FLU) is very sensitive to the nature of the solvent (0.02 in a highly polar and protic solvent, such as MeOH, to 1.0 in apolar solvents). This high sensitivity has been used for probing the interaction of FLU with micellar media and microemulsions based on anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS; bis‐(2‐ethylhexyl)sodium sulfosuccinate, AOT), cationic (cetyltrimethylammonium chloride, CTAC) and nonionic (Triton X‐100, TX) surfactants. Values of Φ_Δ of FLU vary in a wide range (0.05–1.0) in both microheterogeneous media and neat solvent, and provide information on the microenvironment of FLU, i.e., on its localization within organized media. In ionic and nonionic micellar media, as well as in four‐component microemulsions, FLU is, to various extents, exposed to solvation by the polar and protic components of the microheterogeneous systems (water and/or butan‐1‐ol) in the micellar interfacial region (Φ_Δ=0.05–0.30). In contrast, in AOT reverse micelles (consisting of AOT as surfactant, cyclohexane as hydrophobic component, and water), FLU is located in the hydrophobic continuous pseudophase, and is totally separated from the micellar water pools (Φ_Δ≈1.0).     

Self-assembly in a catanionic mixture with an aminoacid-derived surfactant: from mixed micelles to spontaneous vesicles

The aqueous self-assembly of a novel lysine-derived surfactant with a gemini-like architecture, designated here as 12-Lys-12, has been experimentally investigated for the amphiphile alone in water and in a mixture with dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB). The neat surfactant forms interesting micrometer-sized rigid tubules in the dilute region, resulting in very viscous solutions. For the catanionic mixture with DTAB, various single and multiphase regions were identified (up to a total surfactant concentration of 1.5 wt %) by means of combined polarizing light microscopy, cryo-TEM, and NMR. In the DTAB-rich side, for a mixing molar ratio in the range 2 < DTAB/12-Lys-12 < 4, a region of stable, unilamellar vesicles can be found. Furthermore, it was found that upon addition of 12-Lys-12 to pure DTAB solutions, the mixed micelles grow and beyond a given mixing ratio, vesicles assemble and coexist with small micelles. The transition is not continuous, since there is a narrow mixing range where phase separation occurs. Self-diffusion measurements and cryo-TEM imaging show that the average vesicle radius is on the order of 30-40 nm.     

Selective transport of amino acids into the gas phase: driving forces for amino acid solubilization in gas-phase reverse micelles

We report a study on encapsulation of various amino acids into gas-phase sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (NaAOT) reverse micelles, using electrospray ionization guided-ion-beam tandem mass spectrometry. Collision-induced dissociation of mass-selected reverse micellar ions with Xe was performed to probe structures of gas-phase micellar assemblies, identify solute-surfactant interactions, and determine preferential incorporation sites of amino acids. Integration into gas-phase reverse micelles depends upon amino acid hydrophobicity and charge state. For examples, glycine and protonated amino acids (such as protonated tryptophan) are encapsulated within the micellar core via electrostatic interactions; while neutral tryptophan is adsorbed in the surfactant layer. As verified using model polar hydrophobic compounds, the hydrophobic effect and solute-interface hydrogen-bonding do not provide sufficient driving force needed for interfacial solubilization of neutral tryptophan. Neutral tryptophan, with a zwitterionic structure, is intercalated at the micellar interface between surfactant molecules through complementary effects of electrostatic interactions between tryptophan backbone and AOT polar heads, and hydrophobic interactions between tryptophan side chain and AOT alkyl tails. Protonation of tryptophan could significantly improve its incorporation capacity into gas-phase reverse micelles, and displace its incorporation site from the micellar interfacial zone to the core; protonation of glycine, on the other hand, has little effect on its encapsulation capacity. Another interesting observation is that amino acids of different isoelectric points could be selectively encapsulated into, and transported by, reverse micelles from solution to the gas phase, based upon their competition for protonation and subsequent encapsulation within the micellar core.     

Disruption of reverse micelles and release of trapped ribonuclease A photochemically induced by Malachite Green leuconitrile derivative

Photoinduced disruption of a sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) reverse micelle is triggered by a Malachite Green leuconitrile derivative (MGL). UV irradiation of MGL solubilized in an AOT-water-chloroform mixture creates a cationic surfactant that interacts electrostatically with the anionic AOT. We investigated the disruption of the reverse micelle by using proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and found that UV irradiation of MGL decreases the number of water molecules solubilized in the interior of the AOT reverse micelles. Furthermore, the photoinduced disruption of the reverse micelle is shown to release ribonuclease A, which is trapped in the water in the interior of the AOT reverse micelle. This photoinduced release may offer a desirable transport system of biopolymers.     

Structural investigation of the confinement of finite amounts of trehalose in water-containing sodium Bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate reversed micelles

The structural effect of trehalose confined in water-containing sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) reversed micelles at water to AOT molar ratio W = 5 and 10 as a function of the trehalose to AOT molar ratio T (0 < T < 0.1) has been investigated by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). SANS data analysis is consistent with the hypothesis that trehalose is encapsulated within the quite spherical hydrophilic micellar cores of water-containing reversed micelles, causing an increase of the aggregate size and a decrease of the polydispersion. Moreover, SANS results suggest that the trehalose confinement in water-containing reversed micelles involves marked changes on the molecular packing of the water-containing micellar cores. In particular, according to the obtained findings, we can hypothesize the intercalation of the trehalose molecules between the polar surfactant headgroups. The preferential solubilization in this specific nanodomain could explain the trehalose capability to prevent, upon dehydration, the transition to a gel phase, hindering serious damage to biostructures.     

What can you learn from a molecular probe? New insights on the behavior of C343 in homogeneous solutions and AOT reverse micelles

The behavior of C343, a common molecular probe utilized in solvation dynamics experiments, was studied in homogeneous media and in aqueous and nonaqueous reverse micelles (RMs). In homogeneous media, the Kamlet and Taft solvatochromic comparison method quantified solute-solvent interactions from the absorption and emission bands showing that the solvatochromic behavior of the dye depends not only on the polarity of the medium but also on the hydrogen-bonding properties of the solvent. Specifically, in the ground state the molecule displays a bathochromic shift with the polarity polarizability (pi) and the H-bond acceptor (beta) ability of the solvents and a hypsochromic shift with the hydrogen donor ability (alpha) of the media. The carboxylic acid group causes C343 to display greater sensitivity to the beta than to the pi polarity parameter; this sensitivity increases in the excited state, while the dependence on alpha vanishes. This demonstrates that C343 forms a stable H-bond complex with solvents with high H-bond acceptor ability (high beta) and low H-bond donor character (low alpha). Spectroscopy in nonpolar solvents reveals J-aggregate formation. With information from the Kamlet-Taft analysis, C343 was used to explore RMs composed of water or polar solvents/sodium 1,4-bis-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT)/isooctane using absorption, emission, and time-resolved spectroscopies. Sequestered polar solvents included ethylene glycol (EG), formamide (FA), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA). Dissolved in the AOT RM systems at low concentration, C343 exists as a monomer, and when introduced to the RM samples in its protonated form, C343 remains protonated driving it to reside in the interface rather than the water pool. The solvathochromic behavior of the dye depends the specific polar solvent encapsulated in the RMs, revealing different types of interactions between the solvents and the surfactant. EG and water H-bond with the AOT sulfonate group destroying their bulk H-bonded structures. While water remains well segregated from the nonpolar regions, EG appears to penetrate into the oil side of the interface. In aqueous AOT RMs, C343 interacts with neither the sulfonate group nor the water, perhaps because of intramolecular H-bonding in the dye. DMF and DMA interact primarily through dipole-dipole forces, and the strong interactions with AOT sodium counterions destroy their bulk structure. FA also interacts with the Na+ counterions but retains its H-bond network present in bulk solvent. Surprisingly, FA appears to be the only polar solvent other than water forming a "polar-solvent pool" with macroscopic properties similar to the bulk.