Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Studying Surfactant Effects on Hydrate Crystallization at Oil-Water Interfaces Using a Low-Cost Integrated Modular Peltier Device
Published on: March 18, 2020
Understanding organic reactions in water: from hydrophobic encounters to surfactant aggregates
1Physical Organic Chemistry Unit, Stratingh Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands. J.B.F.N.Engberts@chem.rug.nl
Abstract:
A crucial factor in realising a green chemical process in solution involves the choice of a safe, non-toxic and cheap solvent. Water is the obvious choice. Despite solubility problems, considerable interest has developed recently in organic chemistry in water. This interest also results from the fact that association and chemical reactions often benefit noticeably from the special properties of water, resulting mainly from its small molecular size, its three-dimensional hydrogen-bond network and hydrophobic interactions which are so unique for liquid water. Here we discuss organic reactions and assembly processes in water, largely taken from experiments performed in the authors' laboratories. We show that non-covalent interactions in water can be utilised for fine tuning organic reactions in aqueous media.
Related Concept Videos
Colloids
Solubility
A solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent, the major component, and a solute, the minor component. The physical state of a solution—solid, liquid, or gas—is typically the same as that of the solvent. Solute concentrations are often described with qualitative terms such as dilute (of relatively low concentration) and concentrated (of relatively high concentration).
In a solution, the solute particles (molecules, atoms, and/or ions)...
Entropy and Solvation
Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions
In 1896, the German chemist Paul Walden discovered that he could interconvert pure enantiomeric (+) and (-) malic acids through a series of reactions. This conversion suggested the involvement of optical inversion during the substitution reaction. Further, in 1930, Sir Christopher Ingold described for the first time two different forms of nucleophilic substitution reactions, which are known as SN1 (nucleophilic substitution unimolecular) and SN2 (nucleophilic substitution...
Surface Active Agents
Micelles

