Micellar catalysis on the redox reaction of glycolic acid with chromium(VI)

Chromium(VI) oxidation of glycolic acid in the absence and presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) followed the same mechanism as shown by kinetic study. The reaction followed second‐order kinetics, first‐order in each reactant. The oxidation is strongly catalyzed by manganese(II) and cationic micelles of CTAB or CPB. The catalytic effect of micelles can be fitted to a model in which the reaction rate depends upon the concentration of both reactants in the micellar pseudophase. Some added inorganic salts (NaCl, NaBr, NaNO₃, and Na₂SO₄) reduce the micellar catalysis by excluding glycolic acid from the reaction site. The reactivity of glycolic acid towards chromium(VI) has been discussed and also compared with those obtained previously for the reaction between chromium(VI) and the reductants oxalic and lactic acids. On the basis of the observed results, probable mechanisms have been proposed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 33: 377–386, 2001