Dansyl-labeled anionic amphiphile with a hexadecanoic carbon chain: Synthesis and detection for shape transitions in organized molecular assemblies

•A dansyl-labeled anionic amphiphile with a hexadecanoic carbon chain was synthesized.•The synthesized amphiphile can be used to differentiate micelle and vesicle.•The fluorescence anisotropy can detect the micellar growth efficiently.•The synthesized amphiphile is a better fluorescence probe than pyrene and DPH.

The probing properties of a new fluorophore-labeled anionic surfactant, sodium 16-(N-dansyl)aminocetylate (16-DAN-ACA) were investigated systematically in molecular assemblies, especially in the transitions between micelles and vesicles. 16-DAN-ACA can efficiently differentiate the two different aggregate types in mixed cationic and anionic surfactant systems. The fluorescence anisotropy of 16-DAN-ACA was found to be sensitive for directly detecting the micellar growth in micelles containing oppositely charged surfactants; both cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) systems and anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) systems were studied. The results indicated that the 16-DAN-ACA is a good fluorescent probe for differentiating the different aggregates, and even more can be used to detect the micellar growth.

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