Micelle formation of sodium cholate and solubilization into the micelle

Abstract

The micellization of sodium cholate (NaC) was studied at 298.2 K by aqueous solubility at different pH values. Using a stepwise association model of cholate anions without the sodium counterion, the aggregation number ($\text{n}$) of the cholate micelle was evaluated and found to increase with the total concentration, indicating that the mass action model worked quite well. The $\text{n}$ value at 60 mM was found equal to 16. The membrane potential measurement of sodium ion with a cation exchange membrane was made in order to confirm the low counterion binding to micelle. The solubilization of alkylbenzenes (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, n-propylbenzene, n-butylbenzene, n-pentylbenzene, n-hexylbenzene) and polycyclic aromatic compounds (naphthalene, anthracene, pyrene) into the aqueous micellar solution of sodium cholate was carried out. Solubilizate concentrations at equilibrium were determined spectrophotometrically at 298.2 K. The first stepwise association constants ($\text{K}{}_1$) between solubilizate monomer and vacant micelle were evaluated from the equilibrium concentrations and found to increase with increasing hydrophobicity of the solubilizate molecules. From the Gibbs energy change for solubilization at the different mean aggregation numbers and from molecular structure of the solubilizates, the function of sodium cholate micelle for solubilization was discussed and was compared with data from conventional aliphatic micelles.