Localization of Hydrophobized Coumarin and Xanthene Acid–Base Indicators in Micelles

Specific features of the localization of coumarin and xanthene dye molecules in ionic surfactant micelles of sodium n-dodecyl sulphate and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide have been studied by molecular dynamics simulation. It is shown that the change in the microenvironment of a dye molecule in a micelle after its protonation (deprotonation) depends on both the nature of such a dye and the sign of the micelle charge. It was established that the presence of a long hydrocarbon chain in a dye molecule does not prevent its movement during (de)protonation.