If I is dissolved in H,O below pH 6, it rearranges quantitatively via a first-order process to I11 which is relatively stable. At higher pH's, I hydrolyzes to I1 via 111 following consecutive first-order kinetics. The rate constants for the two processes differ sufficiently at 3” and pH 12.4 so that it can be shown that most if not all of 11 arises from 111 and not directly from I. That 111 is in fact the acetyl ester was shown by com- parison of uv repetitive scans recorded during ...
