A Study of the Decarboxylation of Trichloroacetic Acid in Solutions of Water and Dimethylsulfoxide

Author Institution: Department of Physical Science, Denison University, Granville, OhioThe decarboxylation of trichloroacetic acid has been found to occur readily at temperatures as low as 25.0°C in the presence of dimethylsulfoxide in water solutions, a fact not previously reported in chemical literature. The reaction rate is dependent upon the concentration of the dimethylsulfoxide. The reaction rate constant increases about sixty percent as the concentration of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) is increased from c. 50 percent to c. 86 percent. The reaction is first order and the rate is also influenced by the actual concentration of the trichloroacetate ion. An effect of the DMSO is to increase the concentration of this ion. The paper presents density curves at 20.00°C and 25.00°C (each±0.05 °C) for solutions of DMSO in water