Effect of ultrasound on ester hydrolysis in aqueous ethanol

Kinetics of the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of ethyl acetate in ethanol–water binary solutions were investigated without sonication and under ultrasound at 22 kHz. Rate enhancements by 1.03–2.4 times were found with a minimum at 18 wt.% and a maximum at 45 wt.% of ethanol. The results suggest that ultrasonic acceleration of the reaction may be interrelated to the perturbation of the molecular structure of the binary solvent.