I am trying to make nanoparticles using tannic acid and I am using Triton X-100 as the surfactant (not for stabilizing nanoparticles), which is added to tannic acid prior to the synthesis reaction. Can Triton X-100 react with tannic acid or change its structure or vice versa?
Sina Kaabipour
In terms of its functional composition, Triton belongs to polyesters. Tannic acid has alcohol and ether groups. The two molecules interact through the formation of an intermolecular hydrogen bond between etheric oxygen and hydroxyl groups. There is no chemical interaction between them.
Yuri Mirgorod
Thank you very much, Dr. Mirgorod for your response,
When I mix Triton X-100 with tannic acid, the color of the solution suddenly changes to white. However, the white color disappears after I add Triton X-100 completely. What could be causing this color change?
Sina Kaabipour
Tannic acid absorbs electromagnetic radiation in the UV-visible region. Triton forms micelles depending on the concentration. The formation of micelles begins with a certain concentration of CMC. There are methods for determining CMC by dye solubilization. Tannic acid plays the role of a dye here. You can identify Triton's CMC with tannic acid. Increase the concentration of Triton gradually with the addition of a small constant amount of acid. With CMC, the color of the solution will change due to the solubilization of tannic acid in Triton micelles.
Seems to be similar to addition of toluene, phenol or other cloud point lowering substances. At low surfactant concentration their is a mutual reduction of solubility. The white colour is due to respective nonionic surfactant homologes, likely complexed with tannic acid compounds. At high enough surfactant concentration these get solubilized.
I seem to remember that complexing PEO with tannic acid can be used to determine PEO concentrations. see eg J Nuysink, LK Koopal - Talanta, 1982, but there are probably other references too where the method was used to look at PEO adsorption.
Since triton X-100 contains ethyleneoxide (ethyleneglycol) groups I would imagine something similar would also occur. Probably the complexation is due to H-bonding as mentioned above.
Dear Sina,
this is a very interesting technical question. As an inorganic chemist I'm absolutely no specialist in this field of research. However, I just came across a potentially useful article which might help you in your analysis. In this paper the interaction between tannic acid and several non-ionic surfactants (including Triton X-100) has been investgated in detail:
Effects of non-ionic surfactants on the interactions between cellulases and tannic acid: A model system for cellulase–poly-phenol interactions
Article Effects of non-ionic surfactants on the interactions between...
Unfortunately this paper has not been posted as public full text on RG. However, five of the authors have RG profiles, so that it should be easily possible to request the full text directly from one of the authors via RG.
Good luck with your research!
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