Reactivity of hair cystine in microemulsion media

Synopsis Reduction of keratin cystine by thioglycolic acid incorporated in microemulsions of the water/sodium dodecilsulphate/n-pentanol/n-dodecane system has been determined. The results obtained have been interpreted in relation to the properties of the reaction media. Microemulsions with constant oil-to-surface active mixture weight ratios (R(o/s)) and different concentrations of water were chosen as reaction media. At low water concentrations a steep increase in reactivity with the increase of water was observed at all values of R(o/s). However it was more pronounced the higher the oil content. A relation between maximum cysteine formation and percolative behaviour of the microemulsion was found at high R(o/s) values.