Surface-active short-chain alkyl benzene sulfonates which are known as hydrotropes interact
electrostatically as well as hydrophobically with cationic surfactants in the same manner as salicylate.
The interaction in mixed aggregates of the three isomers of butyl benzene sulfonate (BBS-) and cetyl
trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) has been studied by surface tensiometry and rheological techniques.
These mixed aggregates form rodlike micelles, giving rise to highly viscous solutions even at low
concentrations. To study the interactions in the absence of electrolytes, CTA/BBS complexes were also
obtained separately and characterized by similar techniques. The steric effect due to the structure of the
butyl group in butyl benzene sulfonates on the interaction with CTAB has been emphasized during these
investigations. The interactions are also characterized by infrared and ultraviolet absorption and nuclear
magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Molecular modeling was carried out using an MM2 force field for molecular
mechanics calculations for surfactant/hydrotrope pairs in the presence and absence of water. The PM3
semiempirical molecular quantum mechanical calculations were also carried out to calculate heats of
formation of complexes. The steric hindrance due to the bulky tert-butyl group was found to be the maximum
in tert-butyl benzene sulfonate (TBBS-), in comparison to n-butyl benzene sulfonate (NBBS-) and isobutyl
benzene sulfonate (IBBS-).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.