Surface and conductivity properties of imidazoles solutions

The surface tension, σ, of the solutions of benzimidazole, 2-phenylimidazole and 2,4,5-triphenylimidazole in water, or water + 10 mol% of acetonitrile, or in other solvents as well as the solubilities and conductivity of benzimidazole and 2-phenylimidazole in water in function of concentration at 298.15 K were measured. The enthalpy of fusion, or solid-solid phase transition and the melting temperatures were determined for the substances under study by the scanning calorimetry (DSC). These solutions exhibit, in a wide range of concentrations, the normal linear, or parabolic decreasing dependencies and the maximum of surface tension at very low concentrations and show the S-shaped dependencies, being in function of the initial sample, never reported before. The results were con.rmed by the conductivity measurements. The results were interpreted in terms of the changing structure of the interface. It was concluded that the observed phenomena were caused by an induced nucleation of benzimidazole, 2-phenylimidazole and especially by 2,4,5-triphenylimidazole by columnar discotic structures due to the initial concentration. The surface properties of these solutions re.ect the interactions of hydrophobic parts of the guest molecules adsorbed at the interface, as a result of the hydrogen bonded structure of the solution.