ORGANOGELS AND AEROGELS OF RACEMIC AND CHIRAL 12-HYDROXYOCTADECANOIC ACID

Gels were prepared by cooling dilute solutions of 12-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid (12-HOA), a fatty acid surfactant, in a variety of organic solvents. Both the racemic (DL) and chiral (D) forms of 12-HOA were used. Small angle neutron scattering, small angle X-ray scattering, and wide-angle X-ray scattering investigations demonstrated basic similarities between the chiral and the racemic gels. The gels are three-dimensional networks of fibers of rectangular cross-sectional shape with varying aspect ratio and thickness. The fiber network is strengthened by junction points where the molecules pack in a monoclinic crystalline form. ''Head to head'' contacts between the carboxylic acid groups and the formation of multiple hydrogen sequences are ubiquitous in these gels.