Abstract
Transalkylation based on the imine exchange between two single-chained amphiphiles A1 and A2 to form the double-chained amphiphile V and the nonamphiphilic electrolyte E was studied. 1H NMR spectroscopic study showed this reaction smoothly proceeded in water and was catalyzed by an aliphatic boronic acid derivative. It is suggested that the diffusion of E from the local hydrophobic environment in the aggregates composed of amphiphiles to bulk water causes the shift in the equilibrium toward the formation of V.
The optical microscopic study revealed that tubular vesicles were generated after mixing of A1 and A2, followed by transformation of the tubular structures to the spherical vesicles. It is suggested that these morphological changes were accompanied by formation of the double-chained amphiphile V via transalkylation from A1 to A2. Such a Dynamic system would be attractive from the point of view of similarity with the biosynthesis of glycerolipids.
