Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Not protons but hydroxide ions catalyze ester hydrolysis in supercritical water when the concentration of carboxylic acid generated by hydrolysis is low, as in the initial stage of the reaction. As the concentration of carboxylic acid increases with the progress of the reaction, the mechanism would become proton catalyzed (see scheme).
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Oka et al. (2002) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: