Hydrolysis of several substituted methyl benzoates in the aqueous solution

The hydrolysis of several ring substituted methyl benzoates was investigated in aqueous solution over a pH range of 3–10. Both the pH dependence (at pH > 5) and the variation of hydrolysis rates with ring substitution are consistent with a mechanism involving the addition of hydroxide ion to the ester carbonyl group. Extrapolation of the rate data to a pH and temperature that would be consistent with soil and groundwater (pH 8, 10°C) indicate that these esters could have hydrolysis half lives from several months to several years in the environment.