The complexation of Pb(II) with 18-crown-6 in aqueous solutions has been widely
studied and stoichiometry of the resulted complex was well defined using
conductometry and UV/VIS spectrophotometry. In this paper, the influence of
nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 on the complexation of Pb(II) ions was
investigated using conductance measurements in aqueous and nonaqueous
(dichloromethane) solutions. The results show that the addition of a nonionic
surfactant TX-100 lead to a better-defined stoichiometry of the Pb(II) complex in
dichloromethane, significantly contributed to its stability and the absolute
conductivity values increased. The effect of TX-100 on the complexation of Pb(II)
ions in the aqueous medium is opposite and lower conductivity values were
measured. Both effects confirm the existence of significant interactions between
surfactant micellar structures and formed Pb(II) complexes.
