Characterization and application of sodium di(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate and sodium di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate surfactants as pseudostationary phases in micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Abstract

Sodium di(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (DOSS) and sodium di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (NaDEHP) surfactants, with double alkyl chains and negatively charged headgroups, were characterized using fluorescence quenching, densitometry, and tensiometry techniques to determine their aggregation number, partial specific volume, and critical aggregation concentration. These two surfactants were then applied as pseudostationary phases in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) for separations of alkyl phenyl ketones. The aggregation number of NaDEHP was found to be more than two-fold higher than that of DOSS. The partial specific volumes of NaDEHP and DOSS were found to be 0.9003 and 0.8371 mL/g, respectively. The critical aggregation concentrations are 5.12 and 1.80 mM for NaDEHP and DOSS, respectively. The DOSS surfactant provided a wider separation window and had a greater hydrophobic environment than the NaDEHP surfactant under the MEKC experimental conditions studied.