CHARACTERIZATION OF NAPHTHOATE SURFACTANTS IN NORMAL AND REVERSE MICELLAR SYSTEMS VIA LUMINESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY

Four surfactants with naphthoate counterions have been prepared from cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The normal micelles of these surfactants form with relative case compared to CTAB; however, the surfactants do not form reverse micelles in common organic solvents. In order to examine the naphthoate counterion behavior in reverse micelles, the surfactants were dissolved in reverse micelles of Aerosol OT (AOT). The microenvironments of the counterions in normal and reverse AOT micelles have been characterized by using counterion luminescence measurements, fluorescence quenching, and fluorescence probe studies. This characterization study represents a stage in the development of analytical methods based on energy transfer between the aromatic counterions and analytes in controlled proximity. Preliminary data showing examples of energy transfer between the naphthoate moiety and biacetyl in normal and reverse micelles are provided. © 1990.