Influence of sodium sulfate or sodium sulfite on the solubilization of benzylalcohol in cationic micellar solutions

The enthalpy of benzylalcohol (BzOH) solution has been determined as a function of alcohol concentration in aqueous trimethyltetradecylammonium bromide (TTAB) solutions in the presence of sodium sulfite or sodium sulfate up to high salt concentration. The electrolytes studied do not seem to induce TTAB sphere-torod transition at least up to 0.6 mol/kg of salt. Comparison with the enthalpic behavior of BzOH in sodium dodecylsulfate solutions and with that of 1-pentanol in both cationic and anionic micellar solutions suggests that the solubilization of BzOH in TTAB solutions is specifically favored by intramolecular interactions between alcohol molecules within the cationic micelles. The replacement of the bromide counterions by the sulfite or sulfate ions has been studied using potentiometry with an ionselective electrode in the case of trimethylhexadecylammonium bromide (CTAB). No difference could be detected between the effects of either divalent anions on the rate of change of the bromide ion-condensation with the salt/surfactant concentration ratioR. The degree of counter-ion condensation on micellar surface depends not only on theR values, but also on the total surfactant concentration.