FIRST EXAMPLE OF A REACTION IN MIXED MICELLAR MEDIA IN MIXTURES OF GLYCEROL AND WATER - BASIC HYDROLYSIS OF P-NITROPHENYL DIPHENYLPHOSPHATE(PNDP)

The basic hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl diphenylphosphate (PNDP) in vari ous structured mixtures of glycerol and water in the presence of potas sium carbonate and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPCI) was investigated as a probe reaction. This preliminary study in a micellar medium demonst rated the interest of the use of glycerol-water binary systems over th at of water alone for the rapid hydrolysis of toxic organophosphorus c ompounds. This was accounted for by the fact that the interfacial reac tion site is less polar (and hence better suited to such hydrophobic s ubstrates) in the water-glycerol mixture due to the presence of glycer ol at the interface. The important role of potassium carbonate in the structure of the medium is discussed. On the basis of these results we devised the following system ([PNDP]=2.5 x 10(-4) mol L(-1) [CPCI]=8 x 10(-3) mol L(-1), [K2CO3]=5 x 10(-1) mol L(-1), glycerol/water=1.7 ( vol/vol)), which gave a half reaction time, t(1/2), of only 48 s compa red with 76 s in water.