Solubilization in nonionic reverse micelles in carbon dioxide

Abstract

Abstract Phase behavior data and FTIR spectra along with solubilities and solvatochromic shifts of ionic indicator dyes are reported for binary, ternary and quaternary systems composed of pentaethylene glycol n‐octyl ether (C 8 E 5 ), CO 2 , water, and n‐pentanol as a function of temperature, pressure and composition. With the addition of n‐pentanol as a cosurfactant, the water to surfactant ratio, W 0 , reaches values as high as 12. As water is added further, a surfactant‐rich phase precipitates due to micellemicelle interactions. Ionic dyes are soluble at levels of 0.03 mM, far in excess of the negligible solubility in pure CO 2 .