Molecular dynamics study of solubilization of cyclohexane, benzene, and phenol into mixed micelles composed of sodium dodecyl sulfate and octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether.

Molecular dynamics calculations of a mixed micelle composed of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12 E8 ) were performed for six compositions (SDS/C12 E8 = 100/0, 80/20, 60/40, 40/60, 20/80, and 0/100) to investigate the composition dependence of the mixed micelle structure and solubilization of cyclohexane, benzene, and phenol molecules by the micelle. The radial density distribution of the hydrophilic polyoxyethylene (POE) group of C12 E8 as a function of distance from the micelle center is very sharp for micelles with high SDS content because the POE group captures a Na+ ion in solution and wraps around it to form a compact crown-ether-like complex. The hydrophobic dodecyl groups of SDS and C12 E8 were separately distributed in the mixed micelle core. ΔG(r) evaluated for each solute showed that despite the structural changes of the micelle the binding strength of the solute molecules to the micelle did not change significantly. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.