A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for an association study of imidazole derivatives in surfactant micellars using a hydrophilic detergent, i.e. Montanox DF 80 was presented. The thermodynamic results obtained showed that imidazole association in the surfactant micelles was effective over a concentration of surfactant equal to approximatively 4 x 10(-4) mol/l. In addition, an enthalpy-entropy compensation study revealed that the type of interaction between the solute and the RP18 stationary phase was independent of the molecular structure. The thermodynamic variations observed were considered to be the result of equilibrium displacement between the solute and free ethanol (respectively free surfactant) and its clusters (respectively to micelles) created in the mobile phase.