Volume of Hydrophobic Tail Formula:
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Definition: The volume of hydrophobic tail is defined as the amount of space the hydrophobic tail of a surfactant molecule occupies within a micelle core.
Purpose: This calculation helps in understanding micelle formation and surfactant behavior in solutions.
The calculator uses the formula:
Where:
Explanation: The formula calculates the spherical volume of the micelle core and divides it by the number of surfactant molecules to get the volume per hydrophobic tail.
Details: Understanding hydrophobic tail volume is crucial for designing surfactants, predicting micelle behavior, and formulating detergents, emulsifiers, and other surfactant-based products.
Tips: Enter the micelle core radius in angstroms (Å) and the micellar aggregation number. Both values must be positive numbers.
Q1: What is a typical micelle core radius?
A: For common surfactants, micelle core radius typically ranges from 10-30 Å, depending on the surfactant type and conditions.
Q2: What affects the micellar aggregation number?
A: The aggregation number depends on surfactant structure, temperature, concentration, and solution conditions.
Q3: Why is the volume calculated per hydrophobic tail?
A: This gives the average space occupied by each surfactant's tail in the micelle core, important for understanding packing efficiency.
Q4: How accurate is this calculation?
A: It assumes spherical micelles and uniform tail distribution, so actual values may vary for non-spherical micelles.
Q5: What units are used in this calculation?
A: Input radius is in angstroms (Å), but output volume is in cubic meters (m³) - conversion is handled automatically.