Fading phenomena of azo oil dye in anionic-nonionic surfactant solutions II. Effects of alkyl and/or oxyethylene groups in nonionic surfactant on the fading rate

The effects of alkyl and/or oxyethylene groups in a nonionic surfactant on the fading phenomena of 4-phenylazo-1-naphthol (4-OH), which occur in aqueous solutions of anionic-nonionic surfactant systems, are described; these systems are sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) — alkyl poly(oxyethylene) ethers (C_mPOE_n, m=12,14,16, and 18 at n=20; n=10, 20, 30, and 40 at m=16). The fading phenomenon is observed when 4-OH is added to the anionic-nonionic mixed surfactant solutions at a molar ratio of 11. A singlet oxygen, which is caused by the hydrophilic-hydrophilic interaction between two surfactants, is thought to attack the tautomer of 4-OH. The fading rate of 4-OH accelerates with increasing alkyl chain length or with decreasing oxyethylene chain length in the nonionic surfactant molecule. The effect on the fading behavior of 4-OH would be larger for a system which can easily form a mixed micelle than for a system in which two kinds of micelles coexist.