Kinetic and Thermodynamic Investigation of Ester Hydrolysis in Mixed Aqueous–Organic Solvent Systems

The influence of solvent environment on reaction rate and mechanism is an important aspect of chemical kinetics. The present study focuses on the kinetic and thermodynamic investigation of ester hydrolysis in mixed aqueous–organic solvent systems. Ester hydrolysis reactions are widely used as model processes for understanding solvent–solute interactions, ion–dipole effects, and transition state stabilization in solution chemistry. In this work, the hydrolysis of selected ester compounds is examined in binary solvent mixtures consisting of water and different organic solvents with varying polarity and dielectric properties. Kinetic measurements are carried out under controlled temperature conditions using standard analytical techniques to determine reaction rate constants at different solvent compositions. The variation in reaction rate with changes in solvent polarity and composition is analyzed to understand the role of solvent structure and solvation effects on the reaction mechanism. Thermodynamic activation parameters such as activation energy, enthalpy of activation, entropy of activation, and Gibbs free energy of activation are evaluated using temperature-dependent kinetic data. The results provide insights into the influence of mixed solvent environments on the stability of the transition state and the overall reaction pathway of ester hydrolysis. Changes in solvent composition significantly affect the rate of reaction due to alterations in solvation of reactants and transition state species. The study contributes to a better understanding of solvent effects in organic reaction kinetics and offers useful information for predicting reaction behavior in mixed solvent systems commonly encountered in chemical and biochemical processes