Aggregation of quaternary ammonium gemini surfactants C12-s-C12.2Br in n-heptane/n-hexanol solution: effect of the spacer chains on the critical reverse micelle concentrations

The critical reverse micelle concentrations of C(12)-s-C(12).2Br (s=2,3,4,5,6,8,12) in n-heptane/n-hexanol solutions, cmc(I)s, have been determined by absorption spectrum method using iodine as probe. The values of cmc(I)s are smaller than those of the critical micelle concentrations (cmc(aq)s) in aqueous solution and reach a maximum at s=4, which is similar to the variation of cmc(aq) with s. The variation of cmc(I) with s is attributed to the alteration in the spacer chain conformation, i.e. when the spacer is short enough, it may adopt stretch configuration and when the spacer is long, it tends to bend towards the continuous oil phase to achieve a more densely packing of the quaternary ammonium heads on the surface of the core.