STUDIES ON THE MECHANISM OF THE

Redacted for Privacy Abstract approved (Major professor) The alkaline hydrolysis of phenylbenzenethiolsulfinate was studied at various pHs in an aqueous solution of 25 % dioxane. A pH stat was constructed to follow the rate of disappearance of hydroxide ion under pseudo- first-order conditions. Comparative studies were made under identical conditions by following the disappearance of the thiolsulfin-ate in a buffered solution in the ultraviolet at 296 m,t(. A product study was made which indicates that the reaction fol-lows the course indicated in Equation 1. 3(pSó S() + 20H 2COSS1) + 20S02 + H2O (Eq. 1) The kinetic studies indicate that the reaction does not follow simple first-order kinetics but is quite complex. The first-order plots exhibit a marked curvature, being fast initially and slowing to a final lesser first-order rate. Possible schemes are discusse