Final answer:
Base hydrolysis of aspirin is more effective due to the stronger nucleophilic attack by hydroxide ions compared to the slower reaction in neutral or acid conditions, resulting in a greater yield of salicylic acid.
Step-by-step explanation:
Base hydrolysis of aspirin is often more effective than acid hydrolysis due to the chemical structure and reactivity of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid).
In basic conditions, the nucleophilic hydroxide ions attack the ester linkage in aspirin more effectively than water would in an acidic environment, leading to a faster reaction rate and greater yield of salicylic acid.
This is because the hydroxide ion is a stronger nucleophile than water, promoting the breakdown of the ester bond to form salicylic acid and acetate ions.
Conversely, acid catalysis can also promote hydrolysis, but the presence of excess hydronium ions (H3O+) may not always enhance the hydrolysis rate as efficiently as hydroxide ions.
Moreover, in the stomach's acidic conditions, the hydrolysis is indeed faster as mentioned, however, the experiment conducted at neutral pH (pH 7.0) showed the process to be very slow.
This shows that while aspirin hydrolysis can occur in both acidic and basic conditions, the base-catalyzed hydrolysis tends to be more effective in laboratory conditions when comparing at a neutral pH level.