Gemini Surfactants as New, Low Molecular Weight Gelators of Organic Solvents and Water

As many as 1200 solvent molecules can be entrapped by one molecule of the cationic dimeric surfactants 1 to form a gel in CHCl3. These new gelators contain chiral counterions and form gels with both organic solvents and water upon their assembly into helical aggregates, which have similar structures in both media.