Micellar catalysis of oxidation of glycolic acid by N-bromophthalimide

Catalysis of oxidation of glycolic acid by N-bromophthalimide by micelles of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) at 318 K was investigated. The observed value of critical micelle concentration of CTAB in the presence of other components was lower than those reported in the literature. The oxidation reaction was strongly catalyzed by cationic micelles of CTAB. The reaction rate increased with CTAB concentration until the steady state was achieved. The reaction kinetics corresponded to first, fractional and inverse fiactional orders with respect to changes of concentration of reaction components. Effects of solvent, phthalimide, mercuric acetate, and potassium chloride on the reaction kinetics were also studied. The micelle-catalyzed oxidation reaction was shown to fit Arrhenius equation. The experimental data were rationalized in terms of Menger-Portnoy model considering a distribution of the reactants between the micellar and aqueous phases.