Investigation of physical-chemical properties of agarose hydrogels with embedded emulsions.

Composite agarose hydrogels with embedded tetradecane emulsions stabilized by cetylpyridinium chloride were studied. The absorption efficiency of 4-nitrophenyl ethers of carbonic acids by the composite agarose gels increases with the length of the hydrocarbon tail of the ester. The diffusion rate of amphiphilic substances in the composite gels was demonstrated to be much less that than in the standard agarose gels. The reaction kinetics between the esters and dodecylmercaptan dissolved in tetradecane droplets of composite hydrogel was studied. In the region of physiological pH, the reactivity of SH groups embedded in the composite agarose gel in the reaction with the esters is significantly higher than that in a homogeneous solution. Hydrogels with embedded emulsion droplets are of considerable practical importance as drug delivery systems, microreactors, and absorbers. Composite gels filled with emulsions incorporating lipophilic mercaptanes are effective absorbers of heavy metal ions.