Interaction of myoglobin with cationic surfactants hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB), gemini surfactant 16-2-16 (dimethylene-1,2-bis(hexadecyldimethylammonium bromide)) and nonionic surfactant Mega 10 (N-decanoyl-N-methylglucamine) have been studied in phosphate buffer at pH 7.4 using surface tension, UV−visible, fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectroscopies and differential scanning calorimetry. With increasing concentration of HTAB, metal ion of the heme group changes its spin states; but in case of 16-2-16 and Mega 10, spin change does not occur. Fluorescence spectra clearly denote the unfolding process in HTAB media. With increasing HTAB concentration, α-helicity of myoglobin decreases with the appearance of β-sheet and random coil more rapidly than other two surfactants. Melting temperature of myoglobin is reduced drastically upon interaction with HTAB than their corresponding gemini and nonionic surfactants.

Kinetic study of the α-lithiation of benzyl methyl ether (BME) by nBuLi has revealed that increasing the concentration of the organolithium compound does not necessarily increase the reactivity, and this is a consequence of the reactivities of the different nBuLi aggregates present in solution. We propose a dimer-based mechanism, in which a pre-complexation step is a key process for substrates bearing a donor oxygen atom that can interact with the lithium cation to form mixed dimers. For these studies, we have developed a system based on UV/Vis spectroscopy that allows kinetic measurements to be conducted at -80 °C under argon.

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Lithiation reactions of tertiary benzylic esters and carbamates have been studied. Kinetic methodology revealed that a two-step reaction pathway should be considered for these reactions, where either the lithium precomplexation and/or the proton transfer steps can be rate determining. Kinetic isotopic effects were evaluated by comparison of the lithiations of the corresponding protio/deutero substrates, and the results obtained support the notion that lithium precomplexation is taking place on the reaction pathway and that it is the rate-determining step in this transformation.