Refractive index of water-AOT-n-heptane microemulsions

Preparation and Application in Drug Storage and Delivery of Agarose Nanoparticles

In this work, monodisperse agarose gel nanoparticles were prepared using a W/O microemulsion as a template to control the size of the obtained particles. The combination of this template method with a temperature-induced gelling and a solvent exchange methodology has allowed preparing stable aqueous dispersions of monodisperse agarose gel nanoparticles in water. The average size, measured as an apparent hydrodynamic diameter, of the obtained particles was around 150 nm. The ability of the obtained hydrogel particles for the encapsulation and release of a synthetic insecticide (azamethiphos) was tested. The results evidence that the insecticide molecules encapsulated in the fabricated nanoparticles are released following a diffusion-controlled mechanism. These results combined with the biodegradability of the agarose provide the bases for the design of a new vector with application in the control of parasites in water reservoirs.

Acid Hydrolysis of Bromazepam Catalyzed by Micelles, Reverse Micelles, and Microemulsions

Kinetics of the acid hydrolysis of bromazepam (Bz) has been investigated in micelles, reverse micelles, and microemulcions of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) by spectrophotometric method. The rate of the acid hydrolysis of Bz was found to be enhanced both below and above the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of CTAB in aqueous solution. The pseudo-first-order rate constant (k′) shows an initial decrease for both low and high H+concentrations. With further increase in [CTAB], at low [H+], thek′attains an almost constant value, while, at high [H+], thek′passes through a maximum and then decreases. The kinetic data for catalysis by micelles of CTAB was interpreted with the pseudophase ion exchange (PIE) model. In CTAB/cyclohexane/1-butanol/water microemulsions, as the water to surfactant ratio (wo) increases, the physicochemical properties and droplet sizes of microemulsions significantly change and distinct changes in reaction environment can be marked. The rate of the hydrolysis reaction exhibits excellent correlation with the physicochemical properties and droplet sizes of the microemulsions and reverse micelles of CTAB. At [H+] = 0.001 M, in reverse micelles and microemulsions of CTAB, thek′of the acid hydrolysis of Bz decreases sharply followed by a slight increase with increasingwo.

Theoretical analysis for the optical deformation of emulsion droplets

We propose a theoretical framework to predict the three-dimensional shapes of optically deformed micron-sized emulsion droplets with ultra-low interfacial tension. The resulting shape and size of the droplet arises out of a balance between the interfacial tension and optical forces. Using an approximation of the laser field as a Gaussian beam, working within the Rayleigh-Gans regime and assuming isotropic surface energy at the oil-water interface, we numerically solve the resulting shape equations to elucidate the three-dimensional droplet geometry. We obtain a plethora of shapes as a function of the number of optical tweezers, their laser powers and positions, surface tension, initial droplet size and geometry. Experimentally, two-dimensional droplet silhouettes have been imaged from above, but their full side-on view has not been observed and reported for current optical configurations. This experimental limitation points to ambiguity in differentiating between droplets having the same two-dimensional projection but with disparate three-dimensional shapes. Our model elucidates and quantifies this difference for the first time. We also provide a dimensionless number that indicates the shape transformation (ellipsoidal to dumbbell) at a value ≈ 1.0, obtained by balancing interfacial tension and laser forces, substantiated using a data collapse.

Interactions of melatonin with membrane models: portioning of melatonin in AOT and lecithin reversed micelles

The interaction of melatonin with water containing either sodium bis (2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) or soybean phosphatidylcholine (lecithin) reversed micelles has been investigated by UV absorption spectroscopy, at a molar ratio of melatonin:surfactant 1:800 for AOT and 1:400 for lecithin reversed micelles, and by varying the water:surfactant molar ratio (R). Our results suggest that in the presence of domains from apolar organic solvent to surfactant and to water, melatonin positions itself in the micellar phase, with a preferential location in the surfactant polar head group domain, independent of the nature of the surfactant and the amount of water encapsulated into the micellar core. Effects are due to the hydrophilic and lipophilic moieties of melatonin. The effectiveness of melatonin as an electron donor and free radical scavenger has been recently recognized. While supporting the hypothesis that melatonin may provide antioxidant protection without the benefit of receptors, present findings may suggest that the molecule could easily scavenge aqueous as well as lipophilic radicals.