Kinetics of a hydrolysis reaction in critical surfynol465/n-butanol/ethyl acetate/water microemulsion

We have constructed the pseudoternary phase diagram of surfynol465/n-butanol/ethyl acetate/water with mass ratio of surfynol465 to n-butanol being 1.0. In the O/W microemulsion region, we have measured the rate of a first-order hydrolysis reaction of tert-butyl bromide near and far away from the critical point. In the noncritical region, the rate constants of the reaction obey respective Arrhenius equation. In the critical region, the rate constants did not deviate from Arrhenius equation, and no critical effect was apparent, which agreed with the Griffiths–Wheeler rule. This work extended the studies of critical effect on the chemical reaction to more complicated O/W microemulsion media and added to the current interest in microemulsion system functioning as media for chemical reactions.