The CMC (critical micelle concentration) is lower than
expected for a compound with two carboxylate groups and an alkenyl chain of 10–12 carbon atoms. We
identified that among the factors that affect the CMC, the double bond and the arrangement of the carbonyl
group play a crucial role. They favor an ease packing of the head group of the surfactant resulting in
a reduction of their mutual repulsion in the micelle. This particular conformation influences the solubilization/aggregation
behavior and is responsible of the high tendency to self-assembly forming micelles
of spherical shape and small size. An important feature of C10SA molecules is their ability to orient the
carboxyl groups in a way that allow them been packed in the aggregates and this property may be of
interest for many future applications.