Thermal behavior of dodecylpyridinium based surfactants with varied anionic constituent

Amphiphilic molecules based on pyridinium molecule attract significant attention due to their involvement in biochemical processes. Their structure with highly interactive polar head, hydrogen bonding and π-stacking capabilities enables their potentional role in biotechnological and biomedical applications. Three novel dodecylpyridinium based catanionic compounds were synthesized. Combination of techniques was used to examine their thermal properties; differential scanning calorimetry powder X-ray diffraction and polarizing microscopy. Briefly, the absence of mesomorphic properties and the formation of zig-zag blade textures were obtained in dodecylpyridinium picrate, thermotropic mesomorphism and polymorphism in dodecylpyridinium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, and melting accompanied with degradation in combination with cholate. The anionic part of the molecule promotes behavior of novel compounds, resulting in different packing and thermal properties of catanionics in their solid state.