Ultrasonic acceleration of ester hydrolyses

Kinetics of acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of ethyl acetate in 1M HCl solution was investigated without sonication and under ultrasound at 22 kHz. An average 6.2-fold ultrasonic rate enhancement for the temperature range of 10-28 degrees C was found. This is a considerably greater acceleration than previously reported for ester hydrolyses. It was suggested that a significant part of the sonochemical effect on polar reactions may be due to temperature gradients in the cavitating medium.