Effect of compressed CO2 on the critical micelle concentration and aggregation number of AOT reverse micelles in isooctane

The effect of compressed CO2 on the critical micelle concentration (cmc) and aggregation number of sodium bis-2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate (AOT) reverse micelles in isooctane solution was studied by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy methods in the temperature range of 303.2-318.2 K and at different pressures or mole fractions of CO2 (X(CO2)). The capacity of the reverse micelles to solubilize water was also determined by direct observation. The standard Gibbs free energy (DeltaGo(m)), standard enthalpy (DeltaHo(m)), and standard entropy (DeltaSo(m)) for the formation of the reverse micelles were calculated by using the cmc data determined. It was discovered that the cmc versus X(CO2) curve and the DeltaGo(m) versus X(CO2) curve for a fixed temperature have a minimum, and the aggregation number and water-solubilization capacity of the reverse micelles reach a maximum at the X(CO2) value corresponding to that minimum. These results indicate that CO2 at a suitable concentration favors the formation of and can stabilize AOT reverse micelles. A detailed thermodynamic study showed that the driving force for the formation of the reverse micelles is entropy.     

Enhanced stabilization of reverse micelles by compressed CO2

The effect of compressed CO2 on the solubilization capacity of water in reverse micelles of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) in longer chain n-alkanes was studied at different temperatures and pressures. It was found that the amount of solubilized water is increased considerably by CO2 in a suitable pressure range. The suitable CO2 pressure range in which the solubilization capacity of water could be enhanced decreased with increasing W0 (water-to-AOT molar ratio). The microenvironments in the CO2-stabilized reverse micelles were investigated by UV/Vis adsorption spectroscopy with methyl orange (MO) as probe. The mechanism by which the reverse micelles are stabilized by CO2 is discussed in detail. The main reason is likely to be that CO2 has a much smaller molecular volume than the n-alkane solvents studied in this work. Therefore, it can penetrate the interfacial film of the reverse micelles and stabilize them by increasing the rigidity of the micellar interface and thus reducing the attractive interaction between the droplets. However, if the CO2 pressure is too high, the solvent strength of the solvents is reduced markedly, and this induces phase separation in the micellar solution.     

Micellar Solubilization of Biopolymers in Hydrocarbon Solvents III. Empirical Definition of an Acidity Scale in Reverse Micelles

This paper deals with the problem of defining, and measuring, the pH inside the water pool (which we define as pH_wp) of reverse micelles, i.e. micelles formed by surfactants dissolved in apolar solvents in the presence of minimal amounts of water. The conceptual and experimental difficulties are discussed, and it is argued that no absolute determination of pH_wp is possible, mostly because water in the water pools of reverse micelles is a new solvent, for which no standardization of acidity is available. The problem can be approached only on the basis of an empirical acidity scale. An empirical acidity scale for water pools in reverse micelles of bis (2-ethyl-hexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate (AOT) in isooctane has been defined by measuring the ³¹P-chemical shifts of phosphate buffers. The chemical shifts in bulk water were compared to those found in reverse micelles under the assumption that the pK of phosphate ion is the same in the two systems. It was found that in most cases there was little difference (less than 0.4 pH units) between pH_wp and the pH of the starting buffer in bulk water (which we define as pH_st). However, this difference between pH_wp and pH_st may become much larger in certain cases. The difference (pH_wp–pH_st) is measured under a variety of conditions, and this permits the determination of an operational acidity in the micelle water pools as a function of the pH_st with which the aqueous micelles are prepared. The significance of such data for interpreting the behaviour of enzymes confined in the micelles water pool is discussed. Based on the pH_wp scale, the apparent pK_a of phenol-red and 4-nitrophenol were determined in reverse micelles containing different buffers and different water content. The pK_a values obtained were rather sensitive to changes of both these factors, which was taken to signify that organic dies have only a very limited applicability to measure the acidity of the water pools of reverse micelles.     

盐酸胍对反胶束中RNase A活性的影响

以胞嘧啶核苷酸2',3'-环单磷酸酯为底物研究了变性剂盐酸胍对十二胺丁酸盐-环己烷反胶束溶液中核糖核酸酶A活性的影响,同水溶液相比,盐酸胍对反胶束中酶活性的抑制作用很小。反胶束的大小限制了酶分子天然态构象的改变,从而保证了其活性中心的完整性。核糖核酸酶A的内源荧光研究发现,同水溶液相比,反胶束中蛋白的最大发射波长没有发生变化,但荧光偏振极化度增加,也表明了在反胶束中酶分子的运动自由度较在水溶液中有所降低。     

Do probe molecules influence water in confinement?

The water inside reverse micelles can differ dramatically from bulk water. Some changes in properties can be attributed to the interaction of water molecules with the micellar interface, forming a layer of shell water inside the reverse micelle. The work reported here monitors changes in intramicellar water through chemical shifts and signal line widths in 51V NMR spectra of a large polyoxometalate probe, decavanadate, and from infrared spectroscopy of isotopically labeled water, to obtain information on the water in the water pool in AOT reverse micelles formed in isooctane. The studies reveal several things about the reverse micellar water pool. First, in agreement with our previous measurements, the proton equilibrium of the decavanadate solubilized within the reverse micelles differs from that in bulk aqueous solution, indicating a more basic environment compared to the starting stock solutions from which the reverse micelles were formed. Below a certain size, reverse micelles do not form when the polyoxometalate is present; this indicates that the polyanionic probe requires a layer of water to solvate it in addition to the water that solvates the surfactant headgroups. Finally, the polyoxometalate probe appears to perturb the water hydrogen-bonding network in a fashion similar to that in the interior surface of the reverse micelles. These measurements demonstrate the dramatic differences possible for water environments in confined spaces.     

Biocompatible lecithin organogels: structure and phase equilibria

The microstructure of organogels formed upon the addition of tiny amounts of water to a solution of lecithin in fatty acid esters (viz. isopropylpalmitate and ethyloleate) was investigated by means of molecular self-diffusion measurements. In both systems lecithin and water form disconnected cylindrical reverse micelles. The ternary phase map for the lecithin/water/isopropylpalmitate has been investigated in detail. The organogel exists in a narrow region close to the lecithin-oil binary axis; for higher water content equilibrium between lamellae and reverse micelles is found. Lamellar phase occupies the lecithin-rich region, close to the lecithin corner (with the exception of a small island of hexagonal phase) and coexists with neat water close to the water-lecithin axis. The remaining part of the phase map shows the three-phase coexistence of water, oil, and lamellar phase.     

Preparation of cadmium sulfide nanoparticles in self-reproducing reversed micelles

Octyl octanoate (O-OL) underwent hydrolysis in sodium octanoate (NaOA) reversed micelles in 85:15 = isooctane:octanol (OL) (v/v), containing w = [H2O]/[NaOA] = 40. The products of the hydrolysis, octanoic acid (OA) and octanol (OL), lead to the formation of additional (albeit smaller) reversed micelles; hence the process is considered to be self-reproducing. Self-reproduction was found to be catalyzed by lithium hydroxide, solubilized in the water pools, as well as by hydrogen sulfide, added to the solution of the reversed micelles. Addition of hydrogen sulfide to cadmium perchlorate containing self-reproducing reversed micelles resulted in the formation of cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles. Diameters of the CdS containing nanoparticles could be altered from 5.4 to 1.8 nm by changing the [Cd2+]/[H2S] ratios from 0.25 to 10. The CdS nanoparticles formed were capped by mercaptopropionic acid, isolated as solids, and could be repeatedly redispersed in water without changing their sizes. Additional CdS nanoparticles were generated in the supernatants removed from the precipitated capped CdS nanoparticles.     

DNA hybridization in reverse micelles and its application to mutation detection

DNA hybridization was investigated in AOT (sodium di-2-ethylhexyl sulfosuccinate)/isooctane reverse micelles. The single-stranded DNA molecules were encapsulated in the nanoscale water pools formed in the reverse micelles, reducing the hybridization rate. The DNA hybridization can be monitored by simply measuring the UV absorbance of the reverse micellar solution at 260 nm. We found that the DNA hybridization occurred only at the restricted water content (Wo = [H2O]/[AOT] = 20) and below room temperature. We applied this DNA hybridization behavior in reverse micelles to mutation detection in a model gene p53 and successfully detected the single nucleotide mutations in 20-mer. 30-mer and 50-mer nucleotides without a DNA labeling.     

Preparation of ZnS/CdS composite nanoparticles by coprecipitation from reverse micelles using CO2 as antisolvent

The possibility of simultaneously recovering ZnS and CdS particles from reverse micelles by dissolving antisolvent CO2 into the micellar solution was investigated by high-pressure UV-Vis spectra. It was found that all the ZnS and CdS particles in the reverse micelles could be precipitated by compressed CO2 at suitable pressures. The phase structures and morphologies of the obtained composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electronic micrographs. The results illustrate that the smaller molar ratio of water to surfactant of the reverse micelles and higher pressure of CO2 are favorable for producing smaller particles. This method has many potential advantages for the production of composite nanoparticles.     

Intermicellar material exchange in reverse micelles formed by ionic AOT and nonionic Igepal surfactants studied by means of pulse radiolysis. Influence of the temperature

The recombination of thiocyanate anion radicals, (SCN) ₂ ⁻ , formed pulse radiolytically within the water pools of reverse micelles stabilized with anionic AOT and nonionic Igepal surfactants, was proved as an indicator reaction to study intermicellar exchange. It was found that the exchange process is slower inIgepal than in AOT reverse micelles with the same water to surfactant ratio. The apparent activation enthalpy and entropy of the exchange process were determined in different alkanes. For the AOT and Igepal reverse micelles the activation parameters increase with the droplet size, but for the AOT systems they do not significantly change with the increase of droplet concentration. For non-percolated systems the activation parameters for Igepal reverse micelles approach those for AOT reverse micelles. This result supports existing suggestions that the mechanism of intermicellar exchange does not differ in principle between reverse micelles stabilized with ionic and nonionic surfactants.     

高压CO~2对反胶束溶解蛋白质性质的影响

在308.15K下,研究了表面活性剂琥珀酸二(2-乙基己基)酯磺酸钠(Aerosol-Ot,简称AOT)的浓度和水的含量不同时,溶解的CO~2对反胶束溶解牛血清蛋白(BSA)的性质和异辛烷中AOT反胶束稳定性的影响。实验表明,在适当条件下,CO~2可以使反胶束溶液中的蛋白质全部析出。本研究对有关机理进行了初步分析。     

脂肪酸十二烷基铵在四氯化碳中的聚集行为

通过碘光谱法和对水的增溶研究了乙酸十二烷基铵(DAA)、丙酸十二烷基铵(DAP)和丁酸十二烷基铵(DAB)在四氯化碳中的聚集作用; 碘光谱测得的(cmc)~I约比水增溶法测得的(cmc)~W低一个数量级。可能因为碘光谱法测得的是开始发生聚集时的cmc, 这时聚集体较小, 对水无增溶能力; 只有当聚集体随浓度升高而长大到一定程度时, 才能开始增溶水。实验表明, DAA, DAP和DAB的反胶束对水的饱和增溶能力, 分别相当于每一个表面活性分子增溶4.2, 9.4和13.5个水分子。根据球型反胶束模型, 计算了反胶束聚集数、捕集水团的半径和自由水团的半径。     

Acidification of reverse micellar nanodroplets by atmospheric pressure CO2

Water absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide lowers the solution pH due to carbonic acid formation. Bulk water acidification by CO(2) is well documented, but significantly less is known about its effect on water in confined spaces. Considering its prominence as a greenhouse gas, the importance of aerosols in acid rain, and CO(2)-buffering in cellular systems, surprisingly little information exists about the absorption of CO(2) by nanosized water droplets. The fundamental interactions of CO(2) with water, particularly in nanosized structures, may influence a wide range of processes in our technological society. Here results from experiments investigating the uptake of gaseous CO(2) by water pools in reverse micelles are presented. Despite the small number of water molecules in each droplet, changes in vanadium probes within the water pools, measured using vanadium-51 NMR spectroscopy, indicate a significant drop in pH after CO(2) introduction. Collectively, the pH-dependent vanadium probes show CO(2) dissolves in the nanowater droplets, causing the reverse micelle acidity to increase.     

Formation of water-in-CO(2) microemulsions with non-fluorous surfactant Ls-54 and solubilization of biomacromolecules

The solubility of Ls-54 surfactant in supercritical CO(2) was determined. It was found that the surfactant was highly soluble in SC CO(2) and the water-in-CO(2) microemulsions could be formed, despite it being a non-fluorous and non-siloxane nonionic surfactant. The main reasons for the high solubility and formation of the microemulsions may be that the surfactant has four CO(2)-philic groups (propylene oxide) and five hydrophilic groups (ethylene oxide) and its molecular weight are relatively low. The results of this work provide useful information for designing CO(2)-soluble non-fluorous and non-siloxane surfactants. The phase behavior of the CO(2)/Ls-54/H(2)O system, solvatochromic probe study, and the UV spectrum of lysozyme proved the existence of water domains in the SC CO(2) microemulsions. The method of synchrotron radiation small-angle X-ray scattering was used to obtain the structural information on the Ls-54 based water-in-CO(2) reverse micelles. By using the Guinier plot (ln I(q) versus q (2)) on the data sets in a defined small q range (0.022-0.040 A(-1)), the radii of the reverse micelles were obtained at different pressures and molar ratio of water to surfactant, W(0), which were in the range of 20.4-25.2 A.     

Surfactant-induced aggregation patterns of thiazole orange: a photophysical study

The aggregation behavior of the DNA marker dye thiazole orange (TO), has been investigated in two types of surfactant assemblies, namely, premicelles/micelles of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and pre reverse micelles/reverse micelles of sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT). In the case of an SDS/water system, absorption spectral changes of TO signify the formation of H-aggregates and H-dimers of the dye at premicellar concentrations, which subsequently convert to the monomeric form beyond the critical micellar concentration (cmc). Interestingly, the observed changes in the absorption and emission characteristics due to the surfactant-induced formation of H-aggregates/dimers of TO are found to be useful to estimate the surfactant concentration parameters for premicellar aggregation of SDS. In the case of an AOT/n-heptane system, similarly, H-aggregates/dimers are observed at low AOT concentrations, below the cmc. However, in this case, the H-dimers persist even beyond the cmc. This is attributed to the strong tendency of TO for self-aggregation and its favorable electrostatic interactions with the AOT head groups. With increasing water content in the AOT reverse micelles, the hydration of the dye leads to the conversion of H-dimers to the monomeric form. The steady-state fluorescence results are nicely corroborated with those from time-resolved fluorescence studies and demonstrate the interesting behavior of the surfactant-induced aggregation of TO dye.     

反胶团中漆树酶催化氧化性能与反应产物鉴定

研究了漆树酶在AOT/正辛烷/水反胶团中邻氨基苯酚的催化氧化性能。发现在40℃、pH=7.6、R=[H₂O]/[AOT]≈18的条件下,漆树酶的活力最高,在含水量较低的反胶团中较稳定。当R=6.2,于30℃保存15h活力仍保持82%;"水池"内存在的1.0×10^-3mol/L的Zn²⁺、Fe³⁺、Mg²⁺等离子对漆树酶有一定的抑制作用。漆树酶对邻氨基苯酚在反胶团和水溶液介质中,其主要氧化产物均为2-氨基-吩嗪-3-酮,但在反胶团中其反应产率比在水溶液中约高0.5倍。     

Phenidone Oxidation during Photoinitiated Chemical Reduction of AgBr Nanocrystals in Water Pools of Reverse Micelles

Photoinitiated chemical reduction of AgBr nanocrystals (synthesized in water pools of reverse micelles of Aerosol OT and sodium dodecyl sulfate) with phenidone was shown to yield 1-phenyl-3-hydroxypyrazole along with reduced silver. This becomes possible because of irreversible oxidation of phenidone (1-phenyl-3-pyrazolidone) used as a reducing agent, and the rate of 1-phenyl-3-hydroxypyrazole accumulation significantly increases in the presence of a silver halogenide. The formation of the dissociated form of 1-phenyl-3-hydroxypyrazole becomes more probable with decreasing diameter of the water pool of reverse micelles formed by both surfactants.     

A new reverse wormlike micellar system: mixtures of bile salt and lecithin in organic liquids

We report a new route for forming reverse wormlike micelles (i.e., long, flexible micellar chains) in nonpolar organic liquids such as cyclohexane and n-decane. This route involves the addition of a bile salt (e.g., sodium deoxycholate) in trace amounts to solutions of the phospholipid lecithin. Previous recipes for reverse wormlike micelles have usually required the addition of water to induce reverse micellar growth; here, we show that bile salts, due to their unique "facially amphiphilic" structure, can play a role analogous to that of water and promote the longitudinal aggregation of lecithin molecules into reverse micellar chains. The formation of transient entangled networks of these reverse micelles transforms low-viscosity lecithin organosols into strongly viscoelastic fluids. The zero-shear viscosity increases by more than 5 orders of magnitude, and it is the molar ratio of bile salt to lecithin that controls the viscosity enhancement. The growth of reverse wormlike micelles is also confirmed by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments on these fluids.     

Specific Features of the Preparation of AgI Nanocrystals in Reverse Micelles of Aerosol OT

It was shown that the interrelation between the mean size of AgI nanocrystals prepared in the water pools of reverse micelles as a result of reaction between KI and AgNO₃ and the pool diameter has a complex pattern and is determined mainly by the stability of micellar system. Microemulsions with small micelles (the pool diameter is up to 2 nm) are stable due to the presence of micelle oligomeric phase, regardless of the effect of water structurization in pools. In microemulsions with pool diameters from 2 to 6 nm, such an oligomeric phase is absent that leads to the avalanche-like growth of nanocrystals due to their aggregation in organic phase. As the diameter of micelle pools increases above 6 nm, the microemulsions are stabilized because of the limited dimensions of structured water layer and the deceleration of intermicellar exchange. When the excess amount of KI is added to microemulsion, the screening shell of ions is formed around nanocrystals, thus complicating the formation of icelike structure of water in micelle pools.     

核糖核酸酶在DAB-环已烷反胶束溶液中的活性

表面活性剂在有机溶剂中形成的反胶束可以增溶大量的水分子，很多水溶性的物质又可溶解在反胶束的核心水团当中，这些都已是不争的事实［1］．酶在反胶束中的溶解对蛋白质的萃取分离，生物合成等方面有着十分广阔的应用前景，已引起了广泛的注意，文献逐年增加［2－4］．核糖核酸酶A（RNaseA）分子量较小，性质稳定，活性的测定简便易行，很适于作为反胶束－酶体系的研究对象，但大部分研究集中在阴离子表面活性剂AerosolT（AOT）的反胶束体系上，而对其它表面活性剂反胶束－酶体系的研究很少［5，6］．Papadimitriou等曾发现．糜蛋白酶…