Radiolytic decomposition of polychlorinated biphenyls in neutral aerated polar and nonpolar solvents

TL;DRAbstract

The radiolytic degradation of twenty-two polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners from eight homologs, monochlorobiphenyl to octachlorobiphenyl, and complex Aroclor 1260 mixtures was investigated in a variety of polar and nonpolar solvents using spent nuclear fuel as the gamma-ray source.Degradation was found to occur for all of the congeners studied and is conveniently described in terms of a pseudo-first-order rate constant expressed in terms of dose (J kg^-1) , rather than time, and referred to as a dose constant.Dose constants were found to be dependent on the number and substitution pattern of the chlorines in addition to the solvent used.In polar isopropanol chlorine substitution in the para and meta position was found to increase the dose constant while substitution in the ortho position decreases it.Dose constant trends were observed to follow the energy level of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital.Based on scavenging experiments, the solvated electron was determined to be

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