Synthesis, Characteristics and Application of Novel Non-Ionic Gemini Surfactants as Reverse Micellar Systems for Encapsulation of Some Aromatic α-Amino Acids in n-Hexane

Abstract

Abstract Non-ionic carbohydrate based gemini surfactants with rigid aromatic spacer CH2-Ar-CH2, which carry two hydrophobic tails of different tail lengths (C12, C14 and C16) and two sugar moiety polar head groups were synthesized and their reverse micellar behavior for solubilization of some aromatic α-amino acids viz. histidine (His), phenylalanine (Phy), tyrosine (Tyr) and tryptophan (Trp) in n-hexane were studied by spectroscopic analysis. The head group of these gemini surfactants consists of sugar moiety connected to C-6 of tertiary amines. Amino acids form complexes in order of His > Phy > Tyr > Trp, and in all cases it was found that the D-enantiomers solubilize better in comparison to the L-enantiomers. Moreover, more hydrophobic surfactants i.-e. surfactants with longer hydrocarbon tails show greater complex formation tendency towards D- and L-enantiomers of aromatic α-amino acids.