The relationship between self-organization, physicochemical properties, and biological activity of low-concentration solutions of p-aminobenzoic acid

Abstract

The self-organization and the physicochemical properties of aqueous solutions (1•10–11—1•10–2 mol L–1) of p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) kept both under ambient conditions and in the absence of external physical fields were studied by dynamic light scattering and conductometry. It was shown that in aqueous solutions of PABA in the 1•10–10—1•10–3 mol L–1 concentration range, nanosized molecular assemblies (supramolecular domains and nanoassociates) of 100—300 nm size, stable in the temperature range of 25—40 °C, are formed. In the low-concentration range, PABA concentrations in aqueous solutions of 10–10—10–9 mol L–1 and 10–5—10–4 mol L–1 are optimal for waste water treatment.