Evidence of Inverted Emulsion in Organic Phase. The results summarized in Figure illustrate the evolution of the concentration of DDA in an organic phase (dodecane). Initially, the primary absorption peak is observed at 210 nm, which is lower than that (220 nm) of the surfactants dissolved in an aqueous phase. This indicates that DDA, which engages in extended H-bonding in the aqueous phase breaks free when it first enters the organic phase, as evidenced from the observation that the primary absorption peak is found to be same as that of the surfactant in the organic phase in the absence of water. With the progression of time, a peak appears at about 220 nm corresponding to the hydrated state of the surfactant, while the 210 nm peak continues to grow and persists for a certain amount of time. At a longer time, the peak at 210 nm virtually disappears; while the new peak centered around 220 nm spans a broad region (220 nm to about 250 nm), which is similar to what is observed with DDA when it is dispersed in the aqueous phase. This indicates the formation of an extended bonding network in the organic phase. During the formation of this network, both the protonated and the de-protonated carboxylic acid must be participating if we assume that the pH of the water, with which the surfactants nucleate, is close to 7.0 (contrast this value to the pKa of DDA, which is about 7.5). Ultimately, the concentration of the surfactant decreases in the organic phase, presumably due to fusion of the inverted emulsion with the interface and its subsequent re-entry into the aqueous phase in the form of an oil-in water emulsion. The overall spectroscopic signature of the surfactant is similar to that shown in Figure .