View article

During the past ten years, researchers have found that epifluorescence microscopy provides a convenient technique for observing molecular films at the air-water interface. This technique relies on amphiphilic fluorescent probes, which are incorporated into the molecular films at concentrations of the order of 1 mole%(1-5). In some cases, other components of the molecular films, such as protein molecules, are tagged with fluorescent labels (6-1 1). Epifluorescence microscopy has brought about a renaissance in physical chemical studies of molecular films; with these methods, it is now possible to visualize coexisting phases and domain structures that were previously only inferred from pressure-area isotherms, surface poten tials, and other techniques (12). The experimental techniques for epifluor escence studies of monomolecular films, which are remarkably simple, are described elsewhere (1-5, 12-14).

A …