Employment of a useful liquid membrane electrode system to characterise the micelles of bile salts and other detergents in pure and mixed states

Abstract

Ion-pairs or coacervates (formed by the reaction between cationic and anionic surfactants) dissolved in nitrobenzene can behave as surfactant-ion registering devices to respond to both surfactant cation and anion. The complexes of cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide with sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium salts of deoxycholic and chenodeoxycholic acids, and Aerosol Orange T have been used in nitrobenzene to generate such useful liquid membranes. The complex of dimethyldioctadecyl ammonium bromide and sodium cholate has been used to study the cholate ion behaviour since its complex with cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide is water soluble. The electrochemical behaviours of the liquid membranes have been found to be fairly good and reproducible. The membrane potential measurements have been used to determine the critical micelle concentrations of the surfactants in pure as well as in mixed states to evaluate surfactant—surfactant interaction in the micelles of the latter.