Extraction of water miscible organic dyes by reverse micelles of alkyl glucosides

The extraction of methyl orange or methylene blue from an aqueous phase to an organic phase of reverse micelles of alkyl glucosides was investigated. Dodecyl glucoside, a biodegradable and biocompatible surfactant, was employed as a kind of alkyl glucosides, since a stable Winsor II system consisting of the water-in-oil type microemulsion and aqueous phases was formed when an organic solution containing dodecyl glucoside was contacted with an aqueous solution. The water content in the reverse micellar organic phase increased with an increase in the concentration of dodecyl glucoside. The extraction ratio of dyes also increased with increasing the concentration of dodecyl glucoside. Furthermore, the extraction ratio of dyes was dramatically dependent upon the pH of an aqueous phase and temperature.