Hydrolysis of Surfactants Containing Ester Bonds: Modulation of Reaction Kinetics and Important Aspects of Surfactant Self-Assembly
Journal article, 2011
The effects of self-assembly on the hydrolysis kinetics of surfactants that contain ester bonds are discussed. A number of examples on how reaction rates and apparent reaction orders can be modulated by changes in the conditions, including an instance of apparent zero-order kinetics, are presented. Furthermore, it is shown that the examples on reaction kinetics display parallels and connections to important physicochemical aspects of surfactant aggregates, namely, the "reservoir function" of micelles and the fact that the headgroup region of micelles constitutes an aqueous environment largely distinct from the bulk solution. The examples presented can be used in teaching organic as well as physical chemistry. The text is written with the intention to be largely self-contained, in order to make it accessible for readers with different background experience.
Textbooks/Reference Books
Surface Science
aqueous-solution
Analytical Chemistry
Kinetics
Micelles
Physical Chemistry
Upper-Division Undergraduate
First-Year Undergraduate/General
methyl-ester
parameters
Esters
Author
Dan Lundberg
Chalmers, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Applied Surface Chemistry
Maria Stjerndahl
Chalmers, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Applied Surface Chemistry
Journal of Chemical Education
0021-9584 (ISSN) 1938-1328 (eISSN)
Vol. 88 9 1274-1277Subject Categories
Chemical Sciences
DOI
10.1021/ed100903w