title: Phase behavior of the lecithin/water/isooctane and lecithin/water/decane systems.
abstract: The isothermal pseudo-ternary-phase diagram was determined at 25 degrees C for systems composed oflecithin, water, and, as oil, either isooctane or decane. This was accomplished by a combination of polarizing microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, and NMR techniques. The lecithin-rich region of the phase diagram is dominated by a lamellar liquid-crystalline phase (Lalpha). For lecithin contents less than 60% and low hydration (mole ratio water/lecithin = W0 < 5.5), the system forms a viscous gel of branched cylindrical reverse micelles. With increase in the water content, the system phase separates into two phases, which is either gel in equilibrium with essentially pure isooctane (for lecithin < 25%) or a gel in equilibrium with Lalpha (for lecithin > 25%). These two-phase regions are very thin with respect to water dilution. For 8 < W0 < 54 very stable water-in-oil emulsions form. It is only after ripening for more than 1 year that the large region occupied by the emulsion reveals a complex pattern of stable phases. Moving along water dilution lines, one finds (i) the coexistence of gel, isooctane and Lalpha, (ii) equilibrium between reverse micelles and spherulites, and, finally, (iii) disconnected reverse micelles that fail to solubilize water for W0 > 54. This results in a Winsor II phase equilibrium at low lecithin content, while for lecithin > 20% the neat water is in equilibrium with a reverse hexagonal phase and an isotropic liquid-crystalline phase. The use of the decane as oil does not change the main features of the phase behavior.
authors.affiliation: DISTAAM, Università del Molise, v. De Sanctis, 1-861 00 Campobasso, Italy.
authors.forename: Ruggero
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Angelico
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ceglie
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Colafemmina
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Delfine
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palazzo
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D004655:Emulsions / Q000737:chemistry; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008823:Micelles; D009795:Octanes / Q000737:chemistry*; D044367:Phase Transition; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D004655:Emulsions; D008823:Micelles; D009795:Octanes; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D014867:Water; C012867:decane; C045798:2,2,4-trimethylpentane