Cleavage of 4-Nitrophenyl Diphenyl Phosphate by Isomeric Quaternary Pyridinium Ketoximes - How Can Structure and Lipophilicity of Functional Surfactants Influence Their Reactivity in Micelles and Microemulsions?

Abstract

Amphiphilic pyridinium ketoximes 4-[1-(hydroxyimino)alkyl]-1-methylpyridinium bromides (1) and 1-alkyl-4-[1-(hydroxyimino)ethyl]pyridinium bromides (2) are isomeric cationic surfactants bearing the nucleophilic hydroxyimino group. They differ in the position of the nucleophilic function relative to polar head group and hydrophobic alkyl chain. The 4-nitrophenyl diphenyl phosphate (PNPDPP) cleavage by the oximate anions generated from 1 and 2 was used as a model reaction for the investigation of the influence of the structure and lipophilicity of functional surfactants on their reactivity in micelles and microemulsions. The investigation of the model reaction in cationic micelles of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), in non-ionic micelles (Triton X-100 and Brij 35) and in o/w microemulsion (isooctane/phosphate buffer/CTAB and butan-1-ol) has revealed that it is the lipophilicity which is the most important factor influencing the localization and reactivity of functional surfactants in nanoaggregates.