Article
Kinetic studies through stopped-flow spectroscopy were undertaken in the dilute solution range of anionic surfactants where pronounced rate enhancement or inhibition of Ni2+-ligand complexations is often observed at surfactant concentrations much below the critical micelle concentration (CMC). The results are interpreted in terms of Ni-surfactant micelles as the agents responsible for the rate changes in dilute surfactant solution. At higher surfactant concentrations these micelles are transformed into mixed micelles (counterion and size changes), eventually becoming normal surfactant micelles close to the CMC. Surface tension, dye solubility, conductivity, and fluorescent probe investigations support this interpretation.Key words: micellar catalysis, sodium dodecyl sulfate, micelles, critical micelle concentration, premicelles, Ni2+-ligand complexations.