SURFACE-DENSITY OF SOLUBLE SURFACTANTS AT THE AIR-WATER-INTERFACE - ADSORPTION EQUILIBRIUM STUDIED BY 2ND HARMONIC-GENERATION

Abstract

Optical second harmonic generation is employed to investigate the adsorption of soluble naphthalene sulfonates from the bulk solution to the air/water interface in the presence of excess counter ions. Both the surface density of surfactant molecules and the surface pressure were measured as functions of surfactant concentration in solution to yield the adsorption isotherm and the surface pressure/area isotherm. The system investigated shows nonideal gas behavior. The ratio of the activity coefficients at the surface and in the bulk is not unity; however both appear to be constant over the concentration range probed.