Photodegradation Rate Constants for Anthracene and Pyrene Are Similar in/on Ice and in Aqueous Solution

Snowpacks contain a variety of chemicals, including organic pollutants such as toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). While PAHs undergo photodegradation in snow and ice, the rates of these reactions remain in debate. Some studies report that photochemical reactions in snow proceed at rates...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2018-11, Vol.52 (21), p.12225-12234
Main Authors: Hullar, Ted, Magadia, Danielle, Anastasio, Cort
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air-ice interface
Anthracene
Aqueous solutions
Chemical reactions
Chemicals
Dependence
Ice
Organic chemistry
Photochemical reactions
Photochemicals
Photodegradation
Pollutants
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Pyrene
Rate constants
Snow
Toxicity
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Summary:Snowpacks contain a variety of chemicals, including organic pollutants such as toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). While PAHs undergo photodegradation in snow and ice, the rates of these reactions remain in debate. Some studies report that photochemical reactions in snow proceed at rates similar to those expected in a supercooled aqueous solution, but other studies report faster reaction rates, particularly at the air–ice interface (i.e., the quasi-liquid layer, or QLL). In addition, one study reported a surprising nonlinear dependence on photon flux. Here we examine the photodegradation of two common PAHs, anthracene and pyrene, in/on ice and in solution. For a given PAH, rate constants are similar in aqueous solution, in internal liquid-like regions of ice, and at the air–ice interface. In addition, we find the expected linear relationship between reaction rate constant and photon flux. Our results indicate that rate constants for the photochemical loss of PAHs in, and on, snow and ice are very similar to those in aqueous solution, with no enhancement at the air–ice interface.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/acs.est.8b02350