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Activity Coefficients of Aqueous Mixed Ionic Surfactant Solutions from Osmometry

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Abstract

Osmotic techniques for measuring thermodynamic activities, such as isopiestic equilibration, are well established for multicomponent solutions, especially mixed salt solutions. Surprisingly, these techniques have not yet been applied to mixed ionic surfactants, despite the numerous practical applications of these systems and the importance of the Gibbs free energy for micelle stability. In this study, mass-action equations are developed for the osmotic coefficients of solutions of ionic surfactant CA + ionic surfactant CB, with common counterion C. Extended Debye–Hückel equations are used for the ionic activity coefficients. The equilibrium constants for mixed micelle formation are evaluated by Gibbs–Duhem integration of critical micelle concentrations. Fitting the derived equations to the osmotic coefficients of aqueous sodium decanoate + sodium dodecylsulfate solutions measured by freezing-point osmometry is used to evaluate the activities of the total surfactant components. Very large departures from ideal solution behavior are indicated, including stoichiometric surfactant activity coefficients and micelle activity coefficients that drop below 0.05 and 10−8, respectively, relative to unity for ideal solutions. Osmometry offers many interesting and unexplored possibilities for studies of mixed surfactant thermodynamics.

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Acknowledgments

Acknowledgment is made to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council for the financial support of this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS, B2G 2W5, Canada

    Jennifer A. MacNeil, Gargi B. Ray, Poonam Sharma & Derek G. Leaist

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  1. Jennifer A. MacNeil
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  2. Gargi B. Ray
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  3. Poonam Sharma
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  4. Derek G. Leaist
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Correspondence to Derek G. Leaist.

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This paper is dedicated to Donald G. Miller in recognition and appreciation of his outstanding contributions to research on the transport properties and thermodynamics of solutions.

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MacNeil, J.A., Ray, G.B., Sharma, P. et al. Activity Coefficients of Aqueous Mixed Ionic Surfactant Solutions from Osmometry. J Solution Chem 43, 93–108 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10953-013-0043-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10953-013-0043-5

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