The premicellar and micelle formation behaviors of four cationic triphenylmethane dyes, viz, Pararosaniline (RN), Crystal violet (CV), Ethyl violet (EV), and Malachite green (MG), in aqueous anionic surfactant solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), and sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDSN) have been studied by spectral and surface tension measurements. The study was carried out within a pH range where the dyes are stable in their quinoid forms. The dyes have been found to form dye-surfactant ion pairs (DSIPs) with the surfactants, at the surfactant concentrations well below their critical micelle concentration, CMC*. The DSIPs behave like nonionic surfactants and form an air-water interfacial monolayer. The DSIPs have a lower critical micelle concentration (CMCIP), greater efficiency, and lower effectiveness than the corresponding pure surfactants. As the surfactant concentration is increased below the CMC*, the DSIPs start forming micelles of their own where the dye gets protonated and exists as a protonated dye-surfactant ion pair (PDSIP) in the ion pair micelles. As the concentration of the surfactant exceeds the CMC* of the pure surfactant, the protonation reverses gradually with the dye remaining in the micelles in solubilized form and the DSIPs in the air-water interfacial monolayer are replaced by pure surfactants. The distorted helical isomeric form (isomer B) of the dyes is favored in the PDSIPs. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
