Micellar aggregates of complexes of transition metal ions with the hydroxy-functionalized surfactant 1a are very effective catalysts of the cleavage of activated esters of alpha-amino acids. To ascertain their effectiveness toward unactivated esters, a systematic kinetic study was undertaken employing as substrates the picolinic acid esters 3a-1, the pK(a) of their alcoholic portion spanning more than 12 units from 3.6 to 16. The leaving group effect was investigated in water, pH=6.3, in the absence and presence of CU2+ ions, in the presence of the nonmicellar complex 2-CU2+, and in the presence of micellar aggregates made of 1a-Cu2+ or of its O-methylated analog 1b-Cu2+. In the presence of free metal ions the leaving group effect is negligible in the case of esters with good leaving groups (pK(a)