Formation of micelles of acylcarnitine chlorides in ethylene glycol

Abstract

Acylcarnitine chlorides [graphic omitted], with acyl chains containing ten or more carbon atoms form micelles in ethylene glycol. The critical micellar concentration was determined by means of difference spectroscopy using phenol as a probe and varied from 0.41 (C₁₀) to 0.09 mol dm^–3(C₁₆) at 25 °C. The free energy of micellization, ΔG^°_m, at 25 °C ranged from –2.18 to –5.94 kJ mol^–1. The solvophoic effect was determined to be –0.71 kJ mol^–1 per—CH₂—group compared with –2.89 kJ mol^–1 in water and –0.75 kJ mol^–1 in glycerol. The formation of micelles of acylcarnitine chlorides in ethylene glycol is important in terms of a better understanding of the micellization process and in terms of the metabolism of the fatty acids and their transport across biological membranes.