Cyclic voltammetry and chronocoulometry have been used to measure
diffusion coefficients (D
0) and
half-wave potentials (E
1/2) of a series of
amphiphilic cobalt complexes and ferrocene derivatives in
sodium
dodecyl sulfate (SDS)/dodecane/water/1-pentanol/NaBr microemulsions.
The electrochemical behavior of
the cobalt(III) complexes,
[Co(phen)3](ClO4)3,
[Co(4,7-Me2-phen)3]Cl3,
and
[Co(4,7-phen2-phen)3]Cl3,
has
been compared with that of
bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)iron,
Fe[C5(CH3)5]2
(PMFc), and (ferrocenylmethyl)trimethylammonium bromide,
[C5H5FeC5H4CH2N(CH3)3]Br
([TMAFc]Br), in similar microemulsion environments. The dependence of measured
D
0 and E
1/2 values on
microemulsion composition
has been used to provide information on the dynamic structure of the
microemulsions and to examine the
details of the solubilization processes involved for the different
redox probes. D
0 values obtained
for
[Co(phen)3]3+ (4.7 (±1.6) ×
10-7 cm2/s),
[Co(4,7-Me2-phen)3]3+ (1.1
(±0.2) × 10-7 cm2/s), and
[Co(4,7-phen2-phen)3]3+ (1.4 (±0.3) ×
10-7 cm2/s) are largely
independent of microemulsion composition varying
in water content from 87 to 35%. Such behavior is consistent with
association of the complexes with the
charged surfactant phase of the microemulsion, though the smaller
D
0 values obtained with the
hydrophobic
methyl- and phenyl-substituted complexes suggest some partitioning into
the oil phase. For PMFc and
[TMAFc]Br, the dependence of D
0 values on
the oil volume fractions has been related to changes in
the
hydrodynamic radii of the O/W droplets. Estimates of the
interfacial area per surfactant head group at
the droplet surface have also been made. In contrast to the
cobalt(III) complexes, higher D
0 values
are
observed for PMFc (1.8 × 10-6
cm2/s) and [TMAFc]Br (9.1 ×
10-7 cm2/s) in low water content
microemulsions.
Differences are discussed in terms of possible microstructures
existing at these compositions. Binding
constants, K
1, and partition coefficients,
K
d, have also been determined for the
association of TMAFc2+
and the ferrocenium cation, Fc+, with SDS micelles from
the dependence of measured D
0 values on
the
SDS concentration. K
1 values obtained for
Fc+ (120 (±5) M-1) and
TMAFc2+ (1180 (±240) M-1) are
compared
with values previously determined for ferrocene itself and for
amphiphilic cobalt complexes.