Microstructures of 2,5-dialkyl benzene sulfonate micelles studied using 1H NMR

Micellization of a series of newly synthesized dialkyl benzene sulfonates was studied using proton chemical shift changes, spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation NMR spectroscopy, and two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser enhancement spectroscopy (2D NOESY). The o-substituted chains are normal alkyl chains with varying lengths, and the m-substituted ones are branched alkyl chains. The results showed that the longer the o-substituted normal alkyl chain, the more the methylene groups participated in the formation of the rigid surface layers of the hydrophobic micellar cores. Consequently, the larger was the area per molecule adsorbed on the interface between oil and water at saturation. The branched m-substituted alkyl chains of the dialkyl benzene sulfonates were less tightly packed than the o-substituted normal alkyl chains in the hydrophobic micellar cores. The shorter the m-substituted branched alkyl chains, the looser they were packed in the hydrophobic micellar cores. The relative arrangement of the surfactant molecules in the micelles was elucidated.