Phase diagrams of monolayers of the long chain fatty acids

X-ray scattering studies of fatty acid films on water and on Cdcl2 solutions

X-ray diffraction methods for Langmuir films on the surface of water are briefly presented, together with recent results for docosanoic acid monolayers on pure water and for eicosanoic acid monolayers on an ionic subphase.

Monolayer phases of the fatty acids and their ethyl esters

The miscibility correspondence between water-surface monolayer phases of the fatty acids and their ethyl esters was determined. Ester phases were found corresponding to all the known phases of the acids, and vice versa, in similar relative positions of the π-T diagram. Evidence is presented for the existence of a ninth distinct miscibility category, represented by a phase in each of the pure materials, and a tenth found only in mixtures. We propose a tentative correspondence to bulk smectic miscibility categories.