The reactivity of
N-ethyl-4-nitrotrifluoroacetanilide has been examined in the presence of a non-functional
detergent (n- hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide) and
three functional detergents, n-hexadecyl(2-hydroxyethyl)dimethylammoniumchloride, n- hexadecyl(imidazol-4-ylmethyl)dimethyl-ammonium
chloride and n-hexadecyl(2-hydroxyethyl)(imidazol-4-ylmethyl)methylammonium chloride, at 293.5 K and in borate buffer
(1.3 × 10-3 mol dm-3, pH 9.0). The variation of the rate
constants for the overall reaction with surfactant concentration has been
analysed in terms of the reactant concentrations and rate constants in each
pseudophase, the micelle binding constant and the critical micelle
concentration, CMC. Surface tension measurements have been made on solutions of
these surfactants. The values of CMC have been measured with, and without, the
addition of a kinetic concentration of amide and the results compared with
those from the kinetic analysis.