Micellar effect upon the reaction of hydroxide ion with coumarin

Cationic micelles of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, CTABr, speed attack of hydroxide ion upon coumarin by a factor of c.a-2, due to a concentration effect. The first-order rate constants, k_obs, at a given hydroxide ions concentration go through maxima with increasing surfactant concentration. The overall micellar effects in these cationic micelles can be treated in terms of the pseudo-phase ion exchange model. Analysis of the data shows that second-order rate constant at the micellar surface is smaller than the second-order rate constant in water. Anionic micelles of sodium dodecyi sulfate, SDS, inhibit the same reaction. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 30: 273–276, 1998.