The effect of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) micelles on a Belousov-Zhabotinsky oscillating system catalyzed with a tetraazamacrocyclic copper(II) complex

Abstract

This article deals with the influence of micelles of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) on the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (B-Z) oscillating reaction catalyzed by a tetraazamacrocyclic copper(II) complex [CuL](ClO4)2, an enzyme-like catalyst (L=5,7,7,12,14,14- hexamethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradeca-4,11-diene). Unlike the classical B-Z oscillator in which malonic acid is usually used as a substrate, malic acid (an intermediate in the Krebs cycle) is involved in this oscillating system. Experiments reveal that formation of the SDBS micelles markedly affects the behavior of the oscillating reaction. It is found that there is a linear relationship between the change in the oscillation amplitude (ΔA) and the concentration of SDBS, whereas the change in the oscillation period (ΔT) is linearly proportional to the SDBS concentration. The most likely mechanism that involves the formation of the SDBS micelles and the effects of the micelles on the oscillating chemical system can be rationalized by assuming that the SDBS micelles are so negatively charged that they attract more [CuL] 3+ than [CuL]2+. This hypothesis was confirmed by UV/VIS spectrophotometric measurements of a constant concentration of [CuL](ClO 4)2 in different concentrations of SDBS; as the SDBS concentration increased, the absorbance of [CuL](ClO4)2 increased, while the maximum absorption wavelength for [CuL](ClO 4)2 remained at 502 nm. Copyright © 2014 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG, Zürich.