Solubilization of Benzo(a)pyrene in Aqueous Solutions of Ionic Surfactants

The water solubility of benzopyrene in the presence of ionic detergents is investigated. The power of n-alkyl benzene sulfonates to dissolve benzopyrene in increased quantities grows with the elongation of their m-alkyl chain (from C₈ to C₁₂) and decreases with temperature between 10 and 40°C. The properties of the detergents determine their solvent effect, the substance-specific coefficient K_bind being decisive, as is demonstrated by the example of the cation-active detergents cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, sodium n-decyl benzene sulfonate and sodium lauryl sulfonate.