Solubilization of p-xylene in sodium dodecyl sulphate micelles

Abstract

The solubilization of p-xylene in SDS micelles has been studied by an n.m.r. technique utilizing the line broadening caused by paramagnetic counterions. It was found that the p-xylene cannot be considered to be solubilized at the centre of the micelle, but instead is distributed uniformly throughout the micellar interior. The correlation time for the interaction between the dissolved p-xylene and the ions studied (Mn²⁺, Gd³⁺, Cu²⁺) was dominated by a single correlation time of approximately 6.5 × 10^–11 s, which is probably due to the diffusional motion of the p-xylene within the micelle.