Kinetics of Nitrosamine Formation in the Presence of Micelle-Forming Surfactants 2 3

Abstract

The nitrosation of dihexylamine by nitrite was catalyzed in the presence of micelles of the cationic surfactant decyltrimethylammonium bromide. Rate enhancements up to 800-fold were observed. The magnitude of the rate enhancements was dependent on the amine structure, particularly the alkyl chain length. Rate enhancements for nitrosation were also observed in the presence of micelles of phosphatidylcholine and Triton X-100. We present a mechanistic interpretation of these catalytic effects.