The sodium salt of N,N'-hexane-bis (1-dodecen-1-ylsuccinamic acid) is an anionic dimeric (gemini) surfactant. A flooding penetration scan of this surfactant in water demonstrates a sequence of lyotropic phases at room temperature (20 degrees C). Preparation of surfactant-water mixtures has resulted in a phase diagram which shows that the same sequence of phases exists up to 100 degrees C. These phases are tentatively assigned to the sequence: micellar to normal hexagonal (H-1) to cubic (V-1) to lamellar (L-alpha). The interfacial tension at the n-heptane/water interface has been determined in the presence of this surfactant. The surfactant head group area at the interface is large (2.8 +/- 0.3 nm(2) at 298 K) and the interfacial tension above the critical micelle concentration is low (7 mN m(-1)), but considerably higher than the ultra-low values that have been reported for cationic dimeric surfactants at various hydrocarbon-water interfaces. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.