The Kinetics of the Hydrolysis of Atropine

A study has been carried out on the chemical kinetics of the hydroxyl ion catalyzed hydrolysis of atropine in solution. The mechanism of this hydrolysis has been shown to consist of two reactions, the effect of each being governed by the hydroxyl ion concentration. The temperature dependency of each reaction has been established, and equations have been proposed which enable the approximation of the half-life of atropine undergoing hydrolysis at constant temperature and constant hydroxyl ion concentration. Half-life values calculated by these equations have been shown to compare favorably with those obtained experimentally.