Acid-catalyzed aqueous hydrolysis of ethyl acetate is a textbook example of a pseudo-first-order rea — Chemical Kinetics Chemistry Question

💡 Solution & Explanation

Even though two molecules (ester and water) are involved in the rate-determining step, water is the solvent and its concentration is extremely large. Thus, its concentration does not change significantly, merging with the rate constant $k$ to form $k'$, making it pseudo-first-order.