AbstractMass transfer of benzoic acid from drops dispersed into a continuous phase of mineral oil with high viscosity has been investigated both with and without an imposed non‐uniform d.c. electric field. Total mass transfer efficiency was significantly enhanced in the presence of the high voltage electric field. The results indicate that the application of the electric field to the drop formation process does not change the fundamental mass transfer mechanisms and the mass transfer during drop free fall can also be described by existing mass transfer models. The results also suggest that the high viscosity of the continuous phase inhibits the drops oscillation as well as circulation when the drop sizes become smaller under the applied high voltage electric field. Therefore the significant enhancement of mass transfer efficiency in the present work is mainly due to the increased specific interfacial are