Two optically active cationic surfactants, (2S)-N-hexadecyl-N, N-dimethyl-(1-hydroxy-3-phenylpropyl)-2-ammonium chloride 1 and (2S)-N-hexadecyl-N,N-dimethyl-(1-hydroxy-4-methylpentyl)-2-ammonium chloride 2, have been selected and synthesized for use as enantioselective micellar catalysts in aqueous media. Their surface and aggregation behavior has been investigated at 298 K using surface tension and light scattering studies, which revealed that both molecules associate at low concentrations to produce micellar aggregates. Interestingly, although the area per molecule occupied by the surfactants at the air-water interface (43.6 Å(2) for 1 and 54.6 Å(2) for 2) is similar to that of related cationic surfactants, their aggregation number (23 for 1 and 19 for 2) is much smaller, perhaps reflecting the influence of the size or homochiral nature of the head group in the packing of the micelle. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.