Micellar Solubilization of Phenols With One or Two Hydroxyl Groups Using Biological Surfactant Rhamnolipid.

We studied the solubilization of phenols with one and two hydroxyl groups (phenol, p-cresol, guaiacol, and pyrocatechol, resorcinol, hydroquinone) by micelles of the biological surfactant rhamnolipid using NMR diffusometry. We discuss the results within the framework of a model of two states of solubilizer molecules in solution: free in the aqueous phase and bound in surfactant micelles. The solubilization characteristics of rhamnolipid were calculated: the proportion of solubilized molecules р, micelle-water partition coefficient K, and molar solubilization ratio (MSR) depending on the concentration of rhamnolipid in solutions.