Micelle nano-reactors as mediators of water-insoluble ligand complexation with Cu(II) ions in aqueous medium

Abstract

AbstractComplexation reactions between water-soluble and -insoluble reactants were shown to occur in aqueous media in the presence of normal or reverse surfactant micelles, in significantly higher yields at lower temperatures compared to those achieved in neat organic solvents. The highest yield enhancement in the complexation of novel water-insoluble bis(2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazolyl)methane and 1,4-bis(2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazolyl)benzene ligands with Cu(II) ions was achieved in the sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT)-heptane-water reverse micellar system at the hydration ratio of 15. The results revealed that AOT normal micelles cause a change in the reaction mechanism together with the enhancement of the complex formation. The observed micellar effects were rationalized on basis of the properties of bulk solvents, surfactants and ligands, considering the solvation and hydration ratios of reverse micelles. The results have proved the dependence of complex yield on the amount and accordingly also on the properties of water in the micellar core, indicating that the yield can be maximized by the optimization of the hydration ratio.