Solvent effects on kinetics of hydrolysis reactions in supercritical water

Hydrolysis reactions occurring under high-temperature compressed water, particularly near a critical point, are important for various organic and inorganic reaction applications. Earlier studies have examined solvent effects of hydrolysis reactions during metal oxide formation. The effectiveness of the Kirkwood equation for describing solvent effects has been reported. Distinguishing the reactant effects of water is important to treat kinetics data. Various hydrolysis reactions of organic compounds have been studied intensively for several decades. However, in terms of solvent effects, the analysis operation and the microscopic interpretation of the data have not been well established. For this study, the hydrolysis reactions of trehalose were examined specifically by comparing those of cellobiose and supercritical hydrothermal synthesis of metal oxides. Among the various aspects of water effects, the solvent effects described using the Kirkwood theory after considering the reactant effects were demonstrated effectively by the study findings. • Hydrolysis of trehalose was examined and compared with that of cellobiose. • Solvent effects described by the Kirkwood theory were demonstrated. • Consideration of the reactant effects before Kirkwood analysis is the key.