EFFECTS OF MICELLAR STRUCTURE ON SOLUBILIZATION OF N-OCTANE AND N-OCTANOL

The solubilization of n-octane and n-octanol in nonionic micelles of octaethylene glycol n-alkyl ethers was investigated by means of various techniques including solubilization, fluorescence, and dynamic light-scattering measurement. With respect to the effect of alkyl chain length of the surfactants, different solubilization behavior was observed between n-octane and n-octanol. That is to say, it was shown that the solubilization of n-octane increases with an increase in the alkyl chain length, while that of n-octanol decreases. An interpretation of these solubilization mechanisms is explained from the standpoint of the volume of hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions in a micelle.