Micellar solutions

Micellar solutions

A micellar solution consists of a dispersion of micelles in a solvent (most usually water). Micelles consist of aggregated amphiphiles, and in a micellar solution these are in equilibrium with free, unaggregated amphiphiles. Micellar solutions form when the concentration of amphiphile exceeds the critical micellar concentration (CMC) or critical aggregation concentration - CAC, and persist until the amphiphile concentration becomes sufficiently high to form a lyotropic liquid crystal phase.

Although micelles are often depicted as being spherical, they can be cylindrical or oblate depending on the chemical structure of the amphiphile. Micellar solutions are isotropic phases.

Schematic of a micellar solution showing spherical micelles distributed in water (solvent) and having no long-range positional order.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Micellar liquid chromatography — Acronym MLC Classification Chromatography Other techniques Related High performance liquid chromatography Aqueous Normal Phase Chromatography Size exclusion chromatography Ion exchange chromatography Micellar liquid chromatography (MLC) is a form …   Wikipedia

  • Micellar cubic — A micellar cubic phase is a lyotropic liquid crystal phase formed when the concentration of micelles dispersed in a solvent (usually water) is sufficiently high that they are forced to pack into a structure having long ranged positional… …   Wikipedia

  • Lyotropic liquid crystal — A liquid crystalline material is called lyotropic if phases having long ranged orientational order are induced by the addition of a solvent. Historically the term was used to describe materials composed of amphiphilic molecules. Such molecules… …   Wikipedia

  • Tocopherol — Tocopherols (or TCP) are a class of chemical compounds of which many have vitamin E activity. It is a series of organic compounds consisting of various methylated phenols. Because the vitamin activity was first identified in 1936 from a dietary… …   Wikipedia

  • Humic acid — is one of the major components of humic substances [http://www.ihss.gatech.edu/whatarehs.html] which are dark brown and major constituents of soil organic matter humus that contributes to soil chemical and physical quality and are also precursors …   Wikipedia

  • Debye–Hückel equation — The Debye–Hückel equation and Debye–Hückel limiting law, were derived by Peter Debye and Erich Hückel, who developed a theory with which to calculate activity coefficients of electrolyte solutions.[1] Activities, rather than concentrations, are… …   Wikipedia

  • Debye-Hückel equation — The Debye Hückel limiting law, named for its developers Peter Debye and Erich Hückel, provides one way to obtain activity coefficients Ref|Harris. Activities, rather than concentrations, are needed in many chemical calculations because solutions… …   Wikipedia

  • digestive system, human — Introduction  the system used in the human body for the process of digestion. The human digestive system consists primarily of the digestive tract (alimentary canal), or the series of structures and organs through which food and liquids pass… …   Universalium

  • micelle — micellar, adj. micellarly, adv. /mi sel /, n. Physical Chem. an electrically charged particle formed by an aggregate of molecules and occurring in certain colloidal electrolyte solutions, as those of soaps and detergents. [1880 85; < NL micella,… …   Universalium

  • Liquid crystal — Schlieren texture of liquid crystal nematic phase Liquid crystals (LCs) are a state of matter that have properties between those of a conventional liquid and those of a solid crystal.[1] For instance, an LC may flow like a liquid, but its… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”