Are the interfacial basicities of aqueous cationic micelles and cationic reverse microemulsions different by orders of magnitude?

Formation of 5-hexadecyl-7-methylindazole (16-Ind) from 2, 6-dimethyl-4-hex adecylbenzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate (16-ArN2+) bound to aqueous cation ic micelles (prepared in aqueous buffers of pH 7.0) has been shown to origi nate from the remarkably high interfacial basicity of aqueous cationic mice lles. The rationale behind our conclusion is that formation of indazole fro m o-methylarenediazonium salts has never been observed if the medium of the diazonium salts is not basic. On the same ground, the absence of any 16-In d product from 16-ArN2+ in cationic reverse microemulsions is consistent wi th the interfacial basicities of cationic reverse microemulsions being sign ificantly lower than that of cationic micelles.