The microemulsification in coconut oil/octadecyltrimethylammonium bromide/iso-pentanol/water system is investigated. The effect of isopentanol concentrations on the size of single-phase microemulsion region is discussed. It is found that the maximum microemulsion domain is obtained when cosurfactant (iso-pentanol)-to-surfactant (octadecyltrimethylammonium bromide) mass ratio is 1.5. The diffusion coefficients of ferrocene (electroactive probe) in microemulsion microenvironment are measured by semidifferential electroanalysis. The microstructure and structural transition from water-in-oil to oil-in-water microemulsions through a bicontinuous structure is examined. The results are found to be in agreement with that of conductivity measurements. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.