PHOTOCHEMISTRY IN MICROEMULSIONS - COMPARTMENTALIZATION OF FLUOROPHORE AND QUENCHERS

The fluorescence quenching of 2-naphthol (2-ROH) by some oil-soluble ( CCl4) and water-soluble (copper ion, methyl viologen, methylene bis-(g amma-picolinium bromide)) quenchers in anionic and cationic microemuls ions has been investigated. Both linear and nonlinear Stern-Volmer (SV ) behaviour have been encountered for different solvent systems. Both dynamic and transient quenching models have been found to fit the expe rimental data. ''Quenching Sphere of Action'' model has been proposed for nonlinearity of SV plots and the probable number of quenchers in t he sphere has been determined from Poission distribution. The differen tial behaviour of 2-ROH for different quenchers has been attributed to compartmentalization of the quenchers at various solubilization pocke ts of microemulsions.