A capillary electrophoresis study on the influence of β-cyclodextrin on the critical micelle concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate

The influence of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) on the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was investigated by capillary electrophoresis using anionic chlorophenols as probe molecules at pH 7.0. The variations of the electrophoretic mobility of probe molecules as a function of surfactant concentration in both premicellar and micellar regions in the absence and presence of β-CD was analyzed. The results indicate that, as a consequence of a strong inclusion complexation between β-CD and SDS, the encapsulation of β-CD with probe molecules is greatly diminished, or even vanished, in the presence of SDS. The complexes formed between β-CD and SDS monomers exist predominantly in the form of a 1:1 stoichiometry, while the complexes with a 2:1 stoichiometry reported previously in the literature as a minor component may exist by less than 10%. The elevation of the CMC value of SDS depends not only on the concentration of β-CD in the buffer electrolyte but also on methanol content in the sample solution. The binding constants of probe molecules to β-CD, to surfactant molecules, and to the complexes formed between β-CD and SDS are reported.