Parametric equations of the theory of formation of spherical micelles

Using the notion of aggregation work, we construct a system of differential equations for the aggregation number of micelles which is a function of the parameters of micellization (parametric equations). There are explicit solutions for two important models of spherical micelles. Based on these solutions, we obtain an analytical expression for the equilibrium concentration of surfactant monomers and consequently for the whole spectrum of equilibrium concentrations of molecular aggregates in this framework. Accuracy of these expressions is discussed, and they are applied to an example of micelles formed by sodium dodecyl sulfate. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).