On the inclusion of alkanes into the monolayer of aliphatic alcohols at the water/alkane vapor interface: a quantum chemical approach

In the framework of the quantum chemical semiempirical PM3 method thermodynamic and structural parameters of the formation and clusterization of aliphatic alcohols CnH2n+1OH (nOH = 8–16) at 298 K at the water/alkane vapor CnH2n+2, (nCH3 = 6–16) interface were calculated. The dependencies of enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs' energy of clusterization per one monomer molecule of 2D films on the alkyl chain length of corresponding alcohols and alkanes, the molar fraction of alkanes in the monolayers and the immersion degree of alcohol molecules into the water phase were shown to be linear or stepwise. The threshold of spontaneous clusterization of aliphatic alcohols at the water/alkane vapor interface was 10–11 carbon atoms at 298 K which is in line with experimental data at the air/water interface. It is shown that the presence of alkane vapor does not influence the process of alcohol monolayer formation. The structure of these monolayers is analogous to those obtained at the air/water interface in agreement with experimental data. The inclusion of alkane molecules into the amphiphilic monolayer at the water/alkane vapor interface is possible for amphiphiles with the spontaneous clusterization threshold at the air/water interface (n0S) of at least 16 methylene units in the alkyl chain, and it does not depend on the molar fraction of alkanes in the corresponding monolayer. The inclusion of alkanes from the vapor phase into the amphiphilic monolayer also requires that the difference between the alkyl chain lengths of alcohols and alkanes is not larger than n0S − 15 and n0S − 14 for the 2D film 1 and 2D film 2, respectively.