The autocatalytic biphasic alkaline hydrolysis of C-4 to C-8 ethyl alkanoates was studied in a CSTR. In our experimental conditions, the two,shorter esters (C-4 and C-5) showed monostable behavior while the longer ones (C-6 to C-8) showed bistability. Both the occurrence of bistability and the amplitude of the bistable domain in the CSTR can be related to the strength of the autocatalysis in batch conditions. For C-4 and C-5, the mild autocatalysis stems from a slight increase of their solubilization rate due to the salting-in and solvent effects of the alcohol and alkanoate ions formed. As the critical micellar concentration (cmc) decreases with increasing chain length,for the longer esters this critical concentration was reached during the course of the reaction. The formation of micelles (that are able to solubilize the ester in their core) in the reactive medium considerably accelerates the solubilization process, leading to stronger autocatalysis and a wider bistability domain.