Micellar catalysis on pentavalent vanadium ion oxidation of ethanol in aqueous acid media

Vanadium(V) oxidation of ethanol follows a first order dependency on the concentration of ethanol, vanadium(V), H+ and HSO4 –. These observations remain unaltered in the presence of externally added surfactants. The effect of the cationic surfactant (i.e., N-cetylpyridinium chloride [CPC]), anionic surfactant (i.e., sodium dodecyl sulphate [SDS]) and neutral surfactant (i.e., Triton X-100 [TX-100]) has been studied. CPC inhibits the reactions, whereas SDS and TX-100 accelerate the reaction to different extents. Observed effects have been justified by considering the hydrophobic and electrostatic interaction between the surfactants and reactants. SDS and TX-100 can be used as catalysts in the production of acetaldehyde from ethanol.