Chiroptical Phenomena in Reverse Micelles: The Case of (1R,2S)- Dodecyl (2-hydroxy-1-methyl-2-phenylethyl)dimethylammonium Bromide (DMEB)

(1R,2S)-Dodecyl(2-hydroxy-1-methyl-2-phenylethyl)dimethylammonium bromide (DMEB) aggregates dispersed in carbon tetrachloride have been investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy at various surfactant concentration and water-to-surfactant molar ratio. Experimental data indicate that, even at the lowest investigated concentration and in absence of added water, DMEBmolecules associate in supramolecular assemblies. At higherDMEBconcentration the aggregates can confine watermolecules,making it plausible to think thatDMEB form reverse micelles and that watermolecules are quite uniformly distributed…