The stability of sucrose monolaurate: Rate of formation of lauric acid

Abstract At concentrations below the critical micelle concentration, sucrose monolaurate hydrolyses to give lauric acid at first-order rates. At concentrations above the critical micelle concentration first-order kinetics are not obeyed. In systems buffered to pH values sufficiently high for the liberated lauric acid to ionize, the laurate ions appear to form mixed micelles with the ester and these carry negative charges. Coulombic repulsion of hydroxyl ions by these negative charges protects neighbouring ester molecules from attack and so reduces hydrolysis rates.