Chlorine “Disinfection” Chemistry of Aromatic Compounds. Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons: Rates, Products, and Mechanisms

Kinetic expressions for the aqueous reactions of chlorine with phenanthrene (pH 3-10), fluorene (pH 3-5), and fluoranthene (pH 3-5) have been developed. At pH 3-5 the rate of reaction of each PAH studied could be related to the chlorine concentration [formula-ommitted] Phenanthrene, also studied at high pH values (pH >8.8), followed a rate expression consistent with pseudo-first-order kinetics [formula-ommitted]. The overall rate expression that was developed for phenanthrene is suggested as a model for correlating the rates of reaction of chlorine with polynuclear aromatic compounds in water over the entire pH range (pH 3-10) that might reasonably be encountered during disinfection. This overall expression is [formula ometted] The arene oxide (phenanthrene 9,10-oxide) was the predominant phenanthrene product at pH 54 while phenan-threne-9,10-dione and 9-chlorophenanthrene were the major products at pH S4.