A kinetic study on decomposition of 2,2′-(3″-nitrophenylsulfonyl) ethyl ether

The mechanism of decomposition of 2,2′-(3″-nitrophenyl) ethyl ether in an alkaline medium had been studied. It consists of two consecutive reversible reactions: (1) hydrolysis of the ether to 3-vinyl-sulfonyl nitrobenzene and 3-(β-hydroxy-ethylsulfonyl) nitrobenzene, (2) hydrolysis of 3-vinyl-sulfonyl nitrobenzene to 3-(β-hydroxy-ethylsulfonyl) nitrobenzene. The kinetic constants of these reversible reactions are given; the optimum hydrolysis condition was applied in industrial production.