PHOTOPHYSICAL AND PHOTOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF TRITON X-165 IN AQUEOUSAND METHANOLIC SOLUTIONS

Laser flash photolysis of the nonionic surfactant Triton X-165 was car ried out at 248 nm in methanolic and aqueous solutions at different pH s. Cation radical, triplet, phenoxy radical and solvated electron were observed as the transient absorbing species. Various characteristics of these transient species and their decay constants are reported. Pho toionization was found to be a major process and it was monophotonic. The results obtained are compared with the photolysis of a small molec ule p-methoxytoluene (PMT). Fluorescence and phosphorescence propertie s of the surfactants Triton X-100, Triton X-165 and PMT are also studi ed. A suitable reaction scheme is proposed to account for the observed results.