Temperature effect on formation of sodium cholate micelles

The micellization of sodium cholate (NaC) at 293.2, 298.2, 303.2, 308.2, and 313.2 K by cholate anion concentration was studied over the pH range from 6.0 to 7.2. Using a stepwise association model of cholate anions without bound sodium counterions, the aggregation number (nmacr;) of the cholate micelles was evaluated and found to increase with the total concentration, indicating that the stepwise association model is applicable. The nmacr; values go up and down with increasing temperature; 17 at 298.2 and 12 at 313.2 K and at 60 mM of the sodium cholate. The fluorescence of pyrene was measured in sodium cholate solution to determine the critical micelle concentration (CMC), indicating a narrow concentration range for CMC. A sodium-ion-specific electrode was used to determine a relatively low degree of counterion binding to micelles, supporting the validity of the present association model of cholate anions. The aggregation numbers evaluated at a constant ionic strength of 0.15 and at lower but variable ionic strengths were similar except for higher cholate concentrations.