NMR studies of hydrocarbons solubilized in aqueous micellar solutions

Abstract

Information concerning the solubilization of hydrocarbons in ionic surfactant micelles was obtained from 2H NMR relaxation, 1H NMR chemical shifts, and 1H NMR paramagnetic relaxation measurements. The rotational motion of deuterated hydrocarbons, which is related to the micellar microviscosity at the location of the hydrocarbons, was probed by 2H NMR relaxation. The relaxation data are interpreted using both the two-step and the single-step models, and the results are discussed in terms of the micellar microviscosity and the location of the hydrocarbons in micelles. The location of the hydrocarbons in micelles was further investigated by determining the aromatic ring current-induced 1H chemical shifts along the surfactant alkyl chain and by comparing the 1H spin-lattice relaxation enhancement of the hydrocarbons and the surfactant alkyl chain, induced by Mn2+ on the micellar surface. The hydrocarbons used include benzene, naphthalene, acenaphthalene, triphenylene, cyclohexane, cyclododecane, and tert-butylcyclohexane and the surfactants studied are hexadecyl-, tetradecyl-, and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide; hexadecyl-, tetradecyl-, and dodecylpyridinium halide; and sodium dodecyl sulfate. The results indicate that the micellar microviscosity at the location of saturated hydrocarbons is approximately 5 cP for both the cationic and anionic micelles, whereas the micellar microviscosity at the location of unsaturated hydrocarbons is much higher. The unsaturated hydrocarbons are found to reside primarily near the surfactant headgroup in the cationic micelles, but are distributed evenly throughout the anionic SDS micelles. The saturated hydrocarbons appear to be located in the interior of the micelles. Key words: NMR, relaxation, solubilization, surfactant, micelle.