Condensation reaction of benzaldehyde and acetone in o/w microemulsions: Effect of microemulsion compositions

The condensation between benzaldehyde and acetone has been carried out in a cationic o/w microemulsion prepared from the combination of n-butanol as co-surfactant, n-hexane as oil and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the cationic surfactant. The hydrodynamic diameters of the oil droplets in the o/w microemulsion at different compositions have been determined using dynamic light scattering. Various parameters influencing the formation of microemulsions, like oil content, surfactant content, oil and co-surfactant ratio were varied and their corresponding effects on the solubilization of reactants and rate of a condensation reaction were studied. A direct correlation between the droplet size of the microemulsion and rate of the reaction is observed. Though the changes in solubility of benzaldehyde in the microemulsion do affect the reaction rate, the composition of the oil phase does not influence the rate of the reaction.