Effect of pH on ·OH-induced degradation progress of syringol/syringaldehyde and health effect

Theoretical insights into the HO●-induced oxidation of chlorpyrifos pesticide: Mechanism, kinetics, ecotoxicity, and cholinesterase inhibition of degradants

The oxidation of the common pesticide chlorpyrifos (CPF) initiated by HO● radical and the risks of its degradation products were studied in the gaseous and aqueous phases via computational approaches. Oxidation mechanisms were investigated, including H-, Cl-, CH3- abstraction, HO●-addition, and single electron transfer. In both phases, HO●-addition at the C of the pyridyl ring is the most energetically favorable and spontaneous reaction, followed by H-abstraction reactions at methylene groups (i.e., at H19/H21 in the gas phase and H22/H28 in water). In contrast, other abstractions and electron transfer reactions are unfavorable. However, regarding the kinetics, the significant contribution to the oxidation of CPF is made from H-abstraction channels, mostly at the hydrogens of the methylene groups. CPF can be decomposed in a short time (5-8 h) in the gas phase, and it is more persistent in natural water with a lifetime between 24 days and 66 years, depending on the temperature and HO● concentration. Subsequent oxidation of the essential radical products with other oxidizing reagents, i.e., HO●, NO2●, NO●, and 3O2, gave primary neutral products P1-P15. Acute and chronic toxicity calculations estimate very toxic levels for CPF and two degradation products, P7w and P12w, in aquatic systems. The neurotoxicity of these products was investigated by docking and molecular dynamics. P7w and P12w show the most significant binding scores with acetylcholinesterases, while P8w and P13w are with butyrylcholinesterase enzyme. Finally, molecular dynamics illustrate stable interactions between CPF degradants and cholinesterase enzyme over a 100 ns time frame and determine P7w as the riskiest degradant to the neural developmental system.

Heterogeneous kinetics of the OH-initiated degradation of fenthion and parathion

Fenthion and parathion are two representative kinds of organophosphorus pesticides and widely used in agriculture. They are directly or indirectly released into the atmosphere by spraying or volatilization processes. However, their heterogeneous reactivity toward OH radicals has not yet been well understood. Therefore, this work investigated the heterogeneous kinetics of the OH-initiated degradation of surface-bound fenthion and parathion using a flow reactor. The results showed that OH radicals played an important role in the atmospheric degradation of fenthion and parathion. Their average rate constants were (7.20 ± 0.77) × 10^-12 and (10.40 ± 0.60) × 10^-12 cm³/(mol· sec) at a relative humidity (RH) and temperature of 35% and 20 °C, respectively, suggesting that they have relatively short lifetimes in the atmosphere. In addition, a negative RH dependence and a positive temperature dependence of the rate constants were observed. The Arrhenius expressions of fenthion and parathion were k₂ = (1.34 ± 0.48) × 10^-9exp[-(1432.59 ± 105.29)/T] and k₂ = (1.96 ± 1.38) × 10^-9exp[-(1619.98 ± 222.02)/T], respectively, and their overall activation energy was estimated to be (11.88 ± 0.87) and (13.48 ± 1.83) kJ/mol. The experimental results will update the kinetic data of fenthion and parathion in the atmosphere and be helpful to further understand their atmospheric transportation processes.

Hydroxyl radical-initiated decomposition of metazachlor herbicide in the gaseous and aqueous phases: Mechanism, kinetics, and toxicity evaluation

The oxidation of widely-used herbicide metazachlor (MTZ) by hydroxyl radical (HO^•) in the gas and the aqueous phases was investigated in terms of mechanistic and kinetic behaviors using the M06-2X/6-311++G (3df, 3pd)//M06-2X/6-31 + G (d,p) level of theory over the temperature range 250-400 K. The formal hydrogen transfer, HO^•-addition, and single electron transfer mechanisms were considered. The overall rate constants in the gas phase range from 8.40 × 10¹⁰ to 8.31 × 10⁹ M^-1 s^-1 at the temperature from 250 to 400 K, respectively, while the ones in the aqueous phase are close to diffusion-controlled rates, with diffusion-corrected rate constants being 1.31 × 10⁹ to 1.27 × 10⁹ M^-1 s^-1. The formal hydrogen transfer mechanism is the most dominant in the gas phase, whereas the HO^•-addition is the most favorable in the aqueous phase. The H-abstraction at two methyl groups and the HO^•-addition to C11 and C12 atoms (pyrazole ring), C16 and C18 atoms (benzyl ring) are significant. The short lifetime in the environment, equal to only 4.16 h, requires more attention to this herbicide compound, whereas its lifetime in the aqueous condition varies sharply from half second to several thousand days depending on the HO^• concentration. The ecotoxicity estimation of MTZ and its principal transformation products to aquatic organisms suggests that they are harmful or toxic substances. Moreover, the MTZ is a developmental toxicant and mutagenicity-positive, while its decomposed products are developmental toxicants with no mutagenic toxicity. Their bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms is negligible.

Photoinduced evolution of optical properties and compositions of methoxyphenols by Fe(III)-carboxylates complexes in atmospheric aqueous phase

The changes in optical properties and chemical compositions of methoxyphenols, which acted as an important aromatic compound from the biomass burning, were investigated in the presence of Fe(III)-carboxylates under aqueous phase conditions. The light was confirmed to be a key factor for stimulating the reaction of methoxyphenols and Fe(III)-carboxylates. The photoinduced evolution of optical properties of methoxyphenols was dependent on various factors, including irradiation intensity, types of carboxylates, dissolved oxygen and pH. The changes in the mass absorption efficiency at 306 nm (MAE₃₀₆) positively relied on irradiation intensity and dissolved oxygen. The acceleration effects of carboxylates on the decreases in MAE₃₀₆ of methoxyphenols followed the order of oxalate > citrate > malonate. The change amplitude of MAE₃₀₆ decreased with an increasing pH (3.5-9), while that of the mass absorption efficiency at 364 nm (MAE₃₆₄) increased with pH ranging from 3.5 to 7. The compositional evolutions of methoxyphenols by the photochemical aging were analyzed with the attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), confirming the decrease of CO groups and the increase of O-H and C-O groups. The photochemical reaction pathways of methoxyphenols with Fe(III)-carboxylates were proposed according to optical properties and compositions measurements.

Unravelling the effects of complexation of transition metal ions on the hydroxylation of catechol over the whole pH region

Catechol pollutants (CATPs) serving as chelating agents could coordinate with many metal ions to form various CATPs-metal complexes. Little information is available on the effects of complexation of metal ions on CATPs degradation. This work presents a systematical study of •OH-mediated degradation of catechol and catechol-metal complexes over the whole pH range in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Results show that the pH-dependent complexation of metal ions (Zn²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ti⁴⁺ and Fe³⁺) promotes the deprotonation of catechol under neutral and even acidic conditions. The radical adduct formation (RAF) reactions are both thermodynamically and kinetically favorable for all dissociation and complexation species, and OH/O^- group-containing C positions are more vulnerable to •OH attack. The kinetic results show that the complexation of the four metal ions offers a wide pH range of effectiveness for catechol degradation. At pH 7, the apparent rate constant (k_app) values for different systems follow the order of catechol+Ti⁴⁺ ≈ catechol+Zn²⁺ > catechol+Cu²⁺ > catechol+Fe³⁺ > catechol. The mechanistic and kinetic results would greatly improve our understanding of the degradation of CATPs-metal and other organics-metal complexes in AOPs. The toxicity assessment indicates that the •OH-based AOPs have the ability for decreasing the toxicity and increasing the biodegradability during the processes of catechol degradation.

Atmospheric Reactivity of Methoxyphenols: A Review

Methoxyphenols emitted from lignin pyrolysis are widely used as potential tracers for biomass burning, especially for wood burning. In the past ten years, their atmospheric reactivity has attracted increasing attention from the academic community. Thus, this work provides an extensive review of the atmospheric reactivity of methoxyphenols, including their gas-phase, particle-phase, and aqueous-phase reactions, as well as secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. Emphasis was placed on kinetics, mechanisms, and SOA formation. The reactions of methoxyphenols with OH and NO₃ radicals were the predominant degradation pathways, which also had significant SOA formation potentials. The reaction mechanism of methoxyphenols with O₃ is the cycloaddition of O₃ to the benzene ring or unsaturated C═C bond, while H-abstraction and radical adduct formation are the main degradation channels of methoxyphenols by OH and NO₃ radicals. Based on the published studies, knowledge gaps were pointed out. Future studies including experimental simulations and theoretical calculations of other representative kinds of methoxyphenols should be systematically carried out under complex pollution conditions. In addition, the ecotoxicity of their degradation products and their contribution to SOA formation from the atmospheric aging of biomass-burning plumes should be seriously assessed.

Understanding the properties of methyl vinyl ketone and methacrolein at the air-water interface: Adsorption, heterogeneous reaction and environmental impact analysis

Air-water interfaces are ubiquitous in nature, as manifested in the form of the surfaces of oceans, lakes, and atmospheric aqueous aerosols. The aerosol droplets interface, in particular, plays a critical role in numerous atmospheric chemistry processes. Methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) and methacrolein (MACR), two abundant volatile organic compounds, are the significant precursors of Criegee intermediates and secondary organic aerosol. In this work, the physicochemical properties of MVK and MACR at the air-water interface are studied from a theoretical perspective. The free energy wells of MVK and MACR occur at the air-water interface, and the absorption probabilities of them are 71% and 67%, respectively. Repulsion dominates the interactions between MVK/MACR and water molecules in the bulk region, while attraction is dominant at the interface. The two molecules tend to tilt at the interface, with the CC bond exposed at the outer interface. The most likely reaction scenario of O₃-initiated MVK/MACR reaction in the troposphere is also determined for the first time. Based on the molecular dynamics simulation results, the activity sequence of MVK + O₃ is given at four different environments by the density functional theory method: air-water interface, mineral clusters interface, bulk solution, and homogeneous gas. The interfacial water molecule can catalyze the reaction of MVK with O₃, and the rate constant at the air-water interface is ~6 times larger than that on the mineral surface model. Compared with mineral particles, aqueous particles play a more significant role in modifying the reaction properties of atmospheric organic species.

Highly efficient photoelectrochemical removal of atrazine and the mechanism investigation: Bias potential effect and reactive species

In this work, efficient photoelectrochemical (PEC) removal of atrazine, one of the most widely used chemical herbicides in the world, was obtained by adjusting the bias potential applied on the photo-anode, and the optimal atrazine removal efficiency reached 96.8% at the potential of 0.2 V vs. SCE in 2 h with the reaction rate constant of 1.72 h^-1. The results indicated at the optimal potential, the separation efficiency of photo-generated holes and electrons was the highest with the lowest electron transfer resistance. Mechanism investigation revealed that superoxide radicals, hydroxyl radicals and holes all contributed to atrazine degradation, and the bias potential on the photo-anode could influence atrazine removal efficiency by changing the generation amount and distribution of the reactive oxygen species (ROS). It was presumed the nucleophilicity of superoxide radical played an important role in atrazine dechlorination, leading to the enhanced removal efficiency. However, the bias potential did not show obvious influence on the degradation intermediates of atrazine in the PEC system compared with that in photocatalytic oxidation, since it was actually an electro-assisted photocatalytic process in the potential range investigated. The work will provide fundamental basis for establishing efficient PEC system for pollutant remediation experimentally and theoretically.

Full insights into the roles of pH on hydroxylation of aromatic acids/bases and toxicity evaluation

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) based on hydroxyl radicals (•OH) are the most important technologies for the removal of bio-recalcitrant organic pollutants in industrial wastewater. The pH is one of the crucial environmental parameters that affect the removal efficiency of pollutants in AOPs. In this work, the mechanistic and kinetic insights into the roles of pH on the hydroxylation of five aromatic acids and bases in UV/H₂O₂ process have been investigated using theoretical calculation methods. Results show that the reactivity of •OH towards the twelve ionic/neutral species is positively correlated with electron-donating effect of substituents, which contributes to the positively pH-dependent reactivity of aromatic acids and bases towards •OH. The hydroxylation apparent rate constants (k_app, M^-1 s^-1) (at 298 K) increase as the pH values increase from about 1 to 10, but they decrease as the pH values increase from about 10 to 14. However, the best pH values for degradation are not around 10 because the [•OH] decreases continuously with the increasing pH values from 3 to 9.5. Combining the factors of k_app and [•OH], the best degradation pH values are around 5.5~7.5 for p-hydroxybenzoic acid, p-aminophenol, aniline and benzoic acid, 3.0~7.5 for phenol and 5.5~7.5 for mixed pollutants of these aromatic acids/bases in UV/H₂O₂ process. Moreover, a significant number of hydroxylation by-products are more toxic or harmful to aquatic organisms and rat (oral) than their parental pollutants. Altogether, this work provides comprehensive understanding of the roles of pH on •OH-initiated degradation behavior of aromatic acids and bases.

Theoretical Study of Ozonation of Methylparaben and Ethylparaben in Aqueous Solution

Parabens are widely employed in toothpaste, cosmetics, textiles, beverages, and preservatives, causing a serious environmental concern because they are endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs). As one of the highly reactive oxidants, ozone has a great effect on EDC removal. To understand the degradation and transformation of parabens in the aquatic environment and their toxicity to aquatic organisms, the degradation reaction of parabens initiated by O₃ was studied meticulously using quantum chemical calculations. The degradation process includes multiple initial reaction channels and consequent degradation pathways of the Criegee intermediates. Through thermodynamic data, the rate constants were computed using the transition state theory (TST). At a temperature of 298 K and a pressure of 1 atm, the calculated rate constants were 3.92 and 3.94 M^-1 s^-1 for methylparaben (MPB) and ethylparaben (EPB), respectively. The rate constants increased as the temperature increased or as the length of the alkyl chain on the benzene ring increased. Through the ecotoxicity assessment procedure, the ecotoxicity of parabens and the products in the degradation process can be assessed. Most degradation byproducts are either less toxic or nontoxic. Some byproducts are still harmful, such as oxalaldehyde (P2) and ethyl 2,3-dioxopropanoate (P10). Furthermore, the ecological toxicity of parabens increased with augmentation of the alkyl chain on the benzene ring. The effect of the alkyl chain length on the benzene ring in the compound cannot be ignored.