Volumes and compressibilities of pentanol in aqueous dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide solutions at 15, 25 and 35°C

Ultrasonic velocities and densities of the water-dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB)-pentanol (PentOH) ternary system were measured at 15, 25 and 35°C as a function of the surfactant and alcohol concentrations. The apparent molar volumes and isentropic compressibilities of PentOH were calculated. The standard partial molar volumes increase with surfactant concentration continuously whereas the standard partial molar isentropic compressibilities show sharp changes in slope at about 0.25 mol-kg^–1 DTAB, which can be ascribed to a micellar structural transition. The volume data for alcohol in micellar solutions were treated by a model reported for the distribution of polar additives between aqueous and micellar phases. In the application of the model to compressibility, the contributions due to the pressure effect on the shift of both the micellization equilibrium and the alcohol distribution constant cannot be neglected. This is in contrast to what is found in the case of heat capacity. The distribution constant and the partial molar volumes and compressibilities of PentOH in the micellar phase have been derived by linear regression. Also, the apparent molar volumes and isentropic compressibilities of DTAB in water-pentanol mixed solvents at fixed composition have been calculated. These properties as a function of the surfactant concentration show maxima depending on the temperature and the mixed solvent composition. The decrease beyond the maximum can be attributed to the extraction of PentOH from the aqueous into the micellar phase, where its concentration tends to zero with the progressive increase of the surfactant concentration. As a consequence, by increasing the surfactant concentration, the apparent molar properties of the surfactant in the mixed solvent shifts towards the value in water.