Colloids form homogeneous solutions although at microscopic level they are highly structurated microheterogeneous media with domains of very different properties. Good examples are micellar solutions, microemulsions, liposomes and vesicles. The driving force of this particular behaviour is hidrophobicity regulated by the particular properties of surfactants.

Along the last decades models to explain chemical reactivity in those media has been developed. All of them are based on the distribution of reagents among the different parts of the microheterogeneous structure and in general they are based on the pseudophase approach, which assumes equilibrium distribution of reagents among pseudophases (i.e. micellar, aqueous and interphase). This approach is generally valid for chemical reactions slower than rate of exchange of material (monomers and reagents) among pseudophases. This model alow us to obtain information about rate constants and distribution constants and concentrations of each reagent and intermediate in each pesudophase.

Dramatic changes in reaction rates have been reported for very different chemical reactions. We will discuss some of these results focussing in mechanistic changes induced by these systems. Particular properties of each pseudophase dielectric constant and water content are finally responsible for dramatic changes in nucleophilic-electrophilic power of different reagents.

A different approach that will also be discussed is the use of well known chemical reactions as probes to get valuable information about the structure and properties of the pseudophases, in particular about the key structure the interphase.

• Legal notice:
  

  Copyright (c) Pielaszek Research, all rights reserved.
  The above materials, including auxiliary resources, are subject to Publisher's copyright and the Author(s) intellectual rights. Without limiting Author(s) rights under respective Copyright Transfer Agreement, no part of the above documents may be reproduced without the express written permission of Pielaszek Research, the Publisher. Express permission from the Author(s) is required to use the above materials for academic purposes, such as lectures or scientific presentations.
  In every case, proper references including Author(s) name(s) and URL of this webpage: https://science24.com/paper/8444 must be provided.

1. Kinetics and Mechanism of the Nitrosation of Cyclic 1,3-diones by SNO⁺
2. Mechanism of the Reation of N-nitrososulfonamides with Alkali-metal Ethoxides