Aryl radicals generated in the aqueous phase of biphasic mixtures have—regardless of a comparably low polarity— a strong preference to react with aromatic substrates in the aqueous phase and not to undergo phase-transfer into a lipophilic phase, independent from the presence of a surfactant. These results represent an important prerequisite toward future studies in biological systems, which typically consist of various compartments of either hydrophilic or lipophilic character.
Find this issue from the American Chemical Society