Abstract
The rate of hydrolysis of the ester group in the monocetylsuccinate ion by hydroxyl ion has been studied as a monolayer reaction at various alkali strengths and in the presence of neutral salts. The Donnan equilibrium equations have been employed to calculate the concentration of the hydroxyl ions near the ester linkage, and the hydrolysis constants are found to show a very marked decrease in divergence when referred to the concentration of alkali in the surface, rather than that in the bulk phase. Activity coefficients of the ions in the surface phase have been calculated by the method of linear log plots of Harned, and Brönsted’s theory of specific ion interaction was extended to treat the case of the surface phase in the presence of added neutral salt. The slowing up of the alkaline hydrolysis of a neutral ester of a long-chain acid can also be quantitatively explained assuming the existence of a ‘ surface phase', as can also the potential difference between the surface and the bulk.
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