Nonconventional lecithin gels in hydrocarbon oils

Nonconventional gels formed by lecithin in hydrocarbon oils containing a small amount of water have been studied with the help of temperature- and water-content-dependent phase transitions,³¹P NMR and FT-IR techniques. Gels are obtained in cyclohexane,n-octane, andn-dodecane. Addition of cholesterol in lecithin/water/oil ternary system either eliminates the gelation or shifts the transition temperature to higher values. The gels are thermoreversible, optically clear and are not birefringent. The composition of these gels indicates that the gelation takes place even at 15 weight % of lecithin and water. The lateral motion of the phosphate part of lecithin head group along surfactant monolayer, as well as the tumbling motion of the entangled assemblies of the rodshaped aggregates are fast enough to average out the chemical shift anisotropy of³¹P NMR spectra. From the FT-IR studies, it has been concluded that the gel formation involves the conformational changes in the polar head part of lecithin molecules in such a way that further hydration of phosphate group is drastically hindered.This paper is respectfully dedicated to the sixtieth birthday of Professor Hans F. Eicke, University of Basel, Switzerland