Mechanism of the interaction of quercetin with silver ions in reverse micelles

To clarify a number of aspects associated with the mechanism of the formation of nanoparticles, a spectropholometric study of the interaction of quercetin (Qr), a natural pigment, with silver ions in aqueous solutions and reverse micelles formed in the H2O-bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate sodium sail (AOT)-isooctane ternary system was performed. The main distinctions in the interaction of quercetin with silver ions in aqueous and micellar solutions were established. The extinction coefficients for quercetin, [Ag-Qr] complexes, and silver nanoparticles, as well as the stoichiometry of the [Ag-Qr] complex in the micellar solution, were determined. The data obtained were used to infer the position of the Qr molecule in the reverse micelle and make conclusions on the effect of the degree of hydration of the polar heads of the AOT molecules on the interaction of Qr with silver ions.