ABSTRACT
In a series of experiments, we synthesized and characterized a new type of cationic gemini surfactant, the chiral and the achiral forms, which were compared regarding their surface-active properties. These surfactants show interesting aggregation processes, which are affected by the interplay of different structural characteristics. By substituting the counterions, we found a way to control the solubility of these compounds in order to investigate the behavior of solutions as well as insoluble monolayers. The comparison of the chiral with the meso compound instead of the racemic mixture is a major advantage for the analysis of the effects of chirality because racemates can be understood as a mixed surfactant system with one additional degree of Gibbs freedom. Furthermore, we investigated the viscoelastic behavior of concentrated aqueous surfactant solutions which formed elongated wormlike micelles. A strong effect of the stereochemistry on the aggregation properties of Langmuir layers as well as elongated micelles was found.
