"Snap-shooting" the interface of AOT reverse micelles: use of chemical trapping

Abstract

The first use of the phenyl cation trapping technique in "snap-shooting" the local molar concentrations of water and sulfosuccinate head-groups in the interfacial region of AOT-2,2,4-trimethylpentane-water reverse micelles has been accomplished. Our results demonstrate that the interfacial concentrations of the sulfosuccinate head-groups in AOT (0.1 M)-2,2,4-trimethylpentane-water reverse micelles are remarkably high (2.75-2.34 M) across the W₀ (the molar ratio of water to surfactant) range 12 to 44. However, the interfacial concentrations of water in AOT-2,2,4-trimethylpentane-water reverse micelles across the same range of solution compositions are significantly lower (27.9-32.0 M) than the molar concentration of bulk water (55.5 M). The present results provide new insight on the microenvironments of interfacially located enzymes such as lipases entrapped in AOT-2,2,4-trimethylpentane-water reverse micelles, the most extensively exploited reverse-micellar system in micellar biotechnology.