Colloidal chemistry - interpretation of lecture notes

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A minimum of eight surfactant molecules is necessary to create a functional micelle, with stable micelle formation requiring at least eight carbons in the alkyl chain. Non-ionic surfactants exhibit varying behavior with temperature changes, influencing properties like critical micelle concentration (CMC). Ionic surfactants are also affected by electrolytes in solution, although they are less sensitive to temperature variations compared to non-ionic surfactants. The discussion emphasizes the importance of both surfactant type and environmental conditions in micelle formation and behavior. Understanding these factors is crucial for applications in colloidal chemistry.
superwolf
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How do you interpret this?
 
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My guess is:

  • Greater than 8 surfactant molecules are required to form a functional micelle.
  • Non-ionic surfactant behaviour is affected by solution temperature.
  • Ionic surfactant behaviour is affected by electrolytes in solution.
 
Last edited:
Seems reasonable :)
 
What it really means is that you need at least 8 carbons in your alkyl chain before you start to form stable micelles. It isn't impossible for C7 compounds to do it but http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jm00228a025"

The other part of your notes can be interpreted as: As you change the temperature in solutions of non-ionic surfactants you can see different behavior (different behavior = changes in CMC for example). In ionic surfactants, electrolytes can cause these changes as well (as does temperature but they are not as sensitive to temperature as the non-ionic ones).
 
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