On water reactions are a group of organic reaction

Organic reaction

Organic reactions are chemical reactions involving organic compounds. The basic organic chemistry reaction types are addition reactions, elimination reactions, substitution reactions, pericyclic reactions, rearrangement reactions, photochemical reactions and redox reactions. In organic synthesis,...

s that take place as an emulsion

Emulsion

An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible . Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Although the terms colloid and emulsion are sometimes used interchangeably, emulsion is used when both the dispersed and the...

 in water and that exhibit an unusual reaction rate

Reaction rate

The reaction rate or speed of reaction for a reactant or product in a particular reaction is intuitively defined as how fast or slow a reaction takes place...

 acceleration compared to the same reaction in an organic solvent or compared to the corresponding dry media reaction

Dry media reaction

A dry media reaction or solid-state reaction or solventless reaction is a chemical reaction system in the absence of a solvent. The drive for the development of dry media reactions in chemistry is* economics...

. This effect has been known for many years but in 2005 researchers in the group of K. Barry Sharpless

K. Barry Sharpless

Karl Barry Sharpless is an American chemist known for his work on stereoselective reactions.-Early years:Sharpless was born in Philadelphia. He graduated from Friends' Central School in 1959. He continued his studies at Dartmouth College and earned his Ph.D from Stanford University in 1968...

 presented a systematic study into this phenomenon .

The rate acceleration is found in certain Claisen rearrangement

Claisen rearrangement

The Claisen rearrangement is a powerful carbon-carbon bond-forming chemical reaction discovered by Rainer Ludwig Claisen...

s.