Kinetics of an SN1 reaction in triethylamine + D2O near the consolute point

We have measured the rate of S N 1 hydrolysis reaction of 2-bromo-2-methylpropane in triethylamine   +   D 2 O near and far away from its critical point by electrical conductivity experiment. We report the observation of critical slowing down in the rate of reaction in the one-phase region near the consolute point of triethylamine   +   D 2 O, in contrast to Kim and Baird, J. Phys. Chem. A 107, 8435 (2003), who reported speeding up in the one-phase region of triethylamine   +   H 2 O. Like them, however, we observed slowing down in the rate of reaction in the two-phase region near the consolute point.