Stereopopulation Control. 9. Rate and Equilibrium Enhancement in the Lactonization of ( 0 -Hydroxyphenyl)acetic Acidsla ... Paul S. Hillery and Louis A. Cohen* ... Laboratory of Chemistry, National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20205 ... The kinetics of lactonization of (2,4-dimethyl-6-hydroxyphenyl )dimethylacetic acid have been investigated over the pH range 2.2-11.8 in unbuffered ...