Contribution of the Excited Triplet State of Humic Acid and Superoxide Radical Anion to Generation and Elimination of Phenoxyl Radical

Contributions of excited triplet state of humic acid (³HA*) and superoxide radical anion (O₂^•-), which is mainly generated via the reaction of O₂ with HA-derived reducing intermediates (HA^•-), to phenol transformation were revealed using acetaminophen, 2,4,6-trimethylphenol and tyrosine as probe molecules. Phenol transformation was initiated by ³HA*, leading to the formation of the phenoxyl radical (PhO•), but the distribution of transformation intermediates was codetermined by ³HA* and HA^•-. The influence of HA^•- essentially resulted from the production of O₂^•-, which affected the fate of PhO•. PhO• could undergo dimerization, or react with O₂^•-, leading to either phenol peroxide formation (radical addition) or phenol regeneration (electron transfer). In addition, PhO• could bind to HA or react with HA radicals, particularly in the absence of O₂ and O₂^•-. These PhO• reactions were dependent on the reduction potential and structure of PhO•. This study also proved that the reaction of phenol with ¹O₂ and the reaction of PhO• with O₂^•- lead to the same oxidation product. The contributions of ³HA* and its generated ¹O₂, HA^•- and its generated O₂^•- to phenol transformation were pH-dependent.

New insights into the primary phototransformation of acetaminophen by UV/H2O2: photo-Fries rearrangement versus hydroxyl radical induced hydroxylation

The phototransformation of acetaminophen (APAP) by UV/H2O2 in deionized water and sewage treatment plant (STP) effluents was studied systematically by a combination of analysis of the reaction intermediates and kinetic study. 1-(2-amino-5-hydroxyphenyl)ethanone (P1) and the reported N-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)acetamide (P2) were identified as the main transformation intermediates during the transformation of APAP by UV/H2O2. There was no influence of OH on the formation kinetics of P1, while its decay was promoted. The formation and decay kinetics of P2 were accelerated by increases in the concentration of OH. The second-order rate constants for the reaction of OH with APAP, P1, and P2 were 3.9 × 10(9), 8.1 × 10(9), and 4.7 × 10(9) M(-1) s(-1), respectively. The kinetic study indicated that the main transformation of APAP also included transformation to 1,4-hydroquinone, although the accumulated concentration of 1,4-hydroquinone was quite low. The presence of anions (Cl(-), HCO3(-)/CO3(2-) NO2(-)/NO3(-)), humic acid, commercial drug components or adjuvants, and dissolved organic matters in STP effluents not only changed the transformation kinetics of APAP, but also altered the distribution of the intermediates. The kinetics and pathway of APAP transformation in STP effluent were markedly different from those in deionized water.