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Micelle

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

  • 201 Accesses

Definition

Micelles are self-assembled aggregates of amphiphilic molecules such as soaps, surfactants, and detergents. These compounds are called amphiphiles because each molecule consists of a hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain with a hydrophilic polar or ionic head group such as hydroxyl, carboxylate, phosphate, or sulfate at one end. Amphiphiles exist in solution as individual molecules, but at a certain concentration (the critical micelle concentration, or cmc), they assemble into micelles that typically contain a few hundred molecules. Micelles in aqueous phases have hydrocarbon chains directed inward while hydrophilic head groups line the surface. The formation of micelles is one of the simplest examples of a self-assembly process in an aqueous medium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, 95064, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

    David Deamer

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  1. David Deamer
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Correspondence to David Deamer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Deamer, D. (2014). Micelle. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_223-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_223-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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