VELOCITY OF REACTION. HOMOGENEOUS SYSTEMS 63 



PROGRESS OF SAPONIFICATION OF ETHYLACETATE BY MEANS OF AMMONIA 



AT 1 6 C. 



The agreement with Schiitz's rule is rather imperfect, 

 especially for high values of x. This is a general feature 

 of the said rule, and it is quite clear that the rule would 

 give values of x exceeding 1000 for high values of /, which 

 is evidently impossible. 



In order to deduce a rational formula for this process, 

 we must remember that the saponification is a catalytic 

 process, with a specific velocity of reaction proportional to 

 the concentration of the hydroxyl-ions and of the ethyl- 

 acetate. This latter is here present in such an excess, 

 that only about 0.2 per cent of it is transformed during 

 the process, consequently its concentration may be taken 

 as a constant (P). The concentration y of the hydroxyl- 

 ions is subject to the following formula: 



K(A~x\ 



"'~~ - i '' 

 ky 



