Aromatic photonitration in homogeneous and heterogeneous aqueous systems

A survey of photogeochemistry

The participation of sunlight in the natural chemistry of the earth is presented as a unique field of study, from historical observations to prospects for future inquiry. A compilation of known reactions shows the extent of light-driven interactions between naturally occurring components of land, air, and water, and provides the backdrop for an outline of the mechanisms of these phenomena. Catalyzed reactions, uncatalyzed reactions, direct processes, and indirect processes all operate in natural photochemical transformations, many of which are analogous to well-known biological reactions. By overlaying photochemistry and surface geochemistry, complementary approaches can be adopted to identify natural photochemical reactions and discern their significance in the environment.

Solar driven production of toxic halogenated and nitroaromatic compounds in natural seawater

Natural seawater (NSW) sampled in March and June 2007 in the Gulf of Trieste, Italy, has been spiked with phenol and irradiated in a device simulating solar light spectrum and intensity. Opposite to the case of artificial seawater, for which phenol is slightly degraded by direct photolysis, in NSW the phenol degradation mediated by natural photosensitizers occurs, forming several secondary pollutants, including hydroxyderivatives (1,4-benzoquinone, resorcinol), three chlorophenol isomers, 2,3-dichlorophenol, 2- and 4-bromophenol, 2- and 4-nitrophenol, and several condensed products (2 and 4-phenoxyphenol, 2,2'-, 4,4'- and 2,4-bisphenol). These compounds are toxic to bacteria and other living organisms. Ecotoxicologic effect has been evaluated by using the Vibrio Fischeri luminescent bacteria assay. This technique uses marine organisms, and it is therefore well suited for the study on marine samples. A correlation exists between the intermediates evolution and the toxicity profile, as the largest toxicity is observed when compounds with the lower EC50 (halophenols, phenoxyphenols) are formed at higher concentration.

Phototransformation of selected pharmaceuticals during UV treatment of drinking water

The kinetics of Ultraviolet C (UV-C)-induced direct phototransformation of four representative pharmaceuticals, i.e., 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2), diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole, and iopromide, was investigated in dilute solutions of pure water buffered at various pH values using a low-pressure and a medium-pressure mercury arc lamp. Except for iopromide, pH-dependent rate constants were observed, which could be related to acid-base equilibria. Quantum yields for direct phototransformation were found to be largely wavelength-independent, except for EE2. This compound, which also had a rather inefficient direct phototransformation, mainly underwent indirect phototransformation in natural water samples, while the UV-induced depletion of the other pharmaceuticals appeared to be unaffected by the presence of natural water components. At the UV-C (254 nm) drinking-water disinfection fluence (dose) of 400 Jm(-2), the degree of depletion of the select pharmaceuticals at pH=7.0 in pure water was 0.4% for EE2, 27% for diclofenac, 15% for sulfamethoxazole, and 15% for iopromide, indicating that phototransformation should be seriously taken into account when evaluating the possibility of formation of UV transformation products from pharmaceuticals present as micropollutants.

Phenol chlorination and photochlorination in the presence of chloride ions in homogeneous aqueous solution

Phenol chlorination was studied in the presence of dissolved Fe(III) and chloride under irradiation and of hydrogen peroxide and chloride in dark acidic solutions. In the former case phenol photochlorination is most likely due to the formation of Cl2*- as a consequence of Fe(III) irradiation in the presence of chloride. The most efficient pathway is the photolysis of FeOH2+ producing hydroxyl, which oxidizes chloride to Cl*. The latter finally yields Cl2*- upon further reaction with chloride. The importance of the pathway involving FeOH2+ is higher at higher pH and moderately low chloride concentration. At pH 2.0 and [Cl-] > 0.03 M chlorophenol generation rate decreases with increasing [Cl-], due to the formation of the much less photoactive species FeCl2+/FeCl2+. The photolysis of FeCl2+/ FeCl2+ yielding Cl* is likely to play an important role at pH 0.5 and high chloride, but under such conditions chlorophenol formation rates are about an order of magnitude lower than at pH 2.0. Due to pH and kinetic constraints, under most environmental conditions the photochemistry of FeCl2+/FeCl2+ can be expected to play a minor role toward chlorination when compared with the one of FeOH2+, which leads to hydroxyl-mediated chloride oxidation. Hydrogen peroxide and chloride react in dark acidic solutions to yield HClO, involved in electrophilic chlorination processes. Chlorophenol formation rates under such conditions are directly proportional to [H+]. The described chlorination and photochlorination processes can take place in acidic aerosols of marine origin, naturally rich in chloride and Fe(III). Antarctic aerosol is also rich of hydrogen peroxide and often strongly acidic due to the presence of sulfuric acid of biogenic origin.

Nitration and photonitration of naphthalene in aqueous systems

The nitration of naphthalene was studied in aqueous solution to gain insight into the processes leading to the nitration of aromatic compounds in atmospheric hydrometeors. Reactants used were nitric acid, nitrogen dioxide and peroxynitrous acid in the dark, nitrate, and nitrite/nitrous acid under illumination. Naphthalene nitration can lead to two possible isomers, 1- and 2-nitronaphthalene. The former nitrocompound preferentially forms upon electrophilic processes and in the presence of nitrogen dioxide. Electrophilic nitration of naphthalene takes place in the presence of concentrated nitric acid, but nitration with nitric acid and oxidants (charge-transfer nitration) occurs under much milder conditions than with nitric acid alone. Charge-transfer nitration may have some environmental significance in particular cases, e.g. in acidic aerosols in the presence of HNO3 and oxidants. Nitrogen dioxide is thought to have a role in PAH nitration in the Antarctic particulate matter. In previous papers we have found that nitration induced by peroxynitrous acid, HOONO, can follow two pathways, the former electrophilic (leading for instance to the formation of nitrophenols from phenol) and the latter probably involving HOONO itself (accounting for the formation of nitrobenzene from benzene). In the case of naphthalene and HOONO the electrophilic pathway mainly leads to 1-nitronaphthalene, while the other one preferentially yields 2-nitronaphthalene. The nitration of naphthalene in the presence of nitrite/nitrous acid under irradiation leads to both nitroisomers in similar ratios, and the process is not inhibited by hydroxyl scavengers. This excludes nitrogen dioxide as reactive species for nitration and marks a difference with phenol photonitration and a similarity with the behavior of benzene under comparable conditions. Nitrite photochemistry (and nitrite-induced photonitration as well) is expected to be relevant in fog and cloudwater in polluted areas. An important difference with the gas-phase nitration is that the radicals OH and NO3 are unlikely to play a relevant role in the nitration of naphthalene in aqueous solution.

Phenol nitration upon oxidation of nitrite by Mn(III,IV) (hydr)oxides

An interesting aspect of the chemistry of nitrite is the possibility for this compound to interact with other environmental factors and many oxidising species, which results in the oxidation of nitrite to nitrogen dioxide. This is a potentially interesting process that can lead to the formation of nitroaromatic compounds in the environment. In previous papers we have shown that nitrite can interact with dissolved Fe(III) and nitrate under irradiation, Fenton and heterogeneous photo-Fenton reagents, and semiconductor oxides such as TiO2, alpha-Fe2O3, and beta-FeOOH under irradiation. This paper reports on the interaction between nitrite/nitrous acid and the Mn(III,IV) (hydr)oxides beta-MnO2 and gamma-MnOOH, both in neutral solution under irradiation and in acidic conditions in the dark. beta-MnO2 and gamma-MnOOH originate from the oxidation of Mn(II) and play a key role in the redox cycling of manganese in the environment. These Mn(III,IV) (hydr)oxides show some photocatalytic activity, and they can act as thermal oxidants at acidic pH. The photoinduced oxidation of nitrite and the thermal oxidation of nitrous acid by Mn(III,IV) (hydr)oxides yield nitrogen dioxide and lead to the formation of nitrophenols in the presence of phenol. These processes can take place at the water-sediment or water-colloid interface in natural waters and on the surface of atmospheric particulate. Furthermore, the phenol/gamma-MnOOH/HNO2 system in dark acidic solution is an interesting model due to the formation of phenoxyl radical upon phenol monoelectronic oxidation by gamma-MnOOH. The kinetics of nitrophenol generation under such conditions indicates that phenol nitration is unlikely to take place upon reaction between phenoxyl and *NO2 and suggests a solution to a literature debate on the subject.