The effect of inverted micelles adsorbed on different metals on the hydrolysis of methyl salicylate and ethyl acetoacetate

Abstract

Hydrolysis of methyl salicylate was carried out on inverted micelles adsorbed on copper. The initial rate of hydrolysis was found to be a linear function of the surfactant concentration and copper surface area. However, the initial rate was found to be linear only at low surfactant concentrations for a fixed surface area of copper, and reached a maximum at higher concentrations. Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was found to be a better catalyst both in the ordinary micelle and in its inverted form than the corresponding Hyamine surfactant. The effect of different metals on the initial rate of ethyl acetoacetate hydrolysis was investigated. An enhanced rate of hydrolysis was observed on the selected metals used (Al, Cu. Pb and Sn) and the magnitude of the rate enhancement was observed to be dependent on the potential of zero charge (pzc) of these metals.