Solubilization of Hexafluorobenzene by the Micellar Aromatic Core Formed from Aggregation of Amphiphilic...

Aggregation colloids that possess an aromatic pseudophase in an aqueous system could provide new avenues of research including micellar catalysis, aqueous remediation, and emulsion polymerization studies. The apparent aggregation of two macrocyclic surfactants, hexakis (2,3-O-dibenzyl-6-O-sulfobutyl) cyclomaltohexaose (DBSBA) and heptakis (2,3-O-dibenzyl-6-O-sulfobutyl) cyclomaltoheptaose (DBSBB), was investigated using diffusion ordered nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy (DOSY), conductivity, and pyrene fluorescence techniques. These amphiphiles were found to possess near spherical symmetry at critical micelle concentrations of approximately 0.1 mM in all techniques used to study the phenomenon. Aggregation of both surfactants was found to be entropically driven at low temperatures but enthalpically driven at higher temperatures. The calculated compensation temperatures of DBSBA and DBSBB were determined to be 317 and 307 K, respectively. These surfactants contain a high percentage of aromatic moieties in their structures, which affects the thermodynamics of aggregation and their interior micellar environment. The proposed aromatic micellar core was tested using hexafluorobenzene (HFB) as a molecular probe in (19)F NMR experiments. (19)F NMR relaxation and chemical shift studies found the HFB quantitatively partitioned into the micellar interiors. Global regression analysis found that HFB interaction with DBSBA micelles possessed at least two association constants, differing by an order of magnitude, the largest being in excess of 8300 M(-1). DBSBB micellar interactions with HFB were found to be weaker, although in excess of 1100 M(-1), with a subsequent association constant of similar magnitude. Benzyl substituents of DBSBB are required for solubilization of HFB. Heteronuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (HOESY, (19)F-(1)H) of the DBSBB:HFB complex revealed strong interaction of HFB with benzyl substituents but not the cyclodextrin cavity.