Kinetic and mechanistic aspects of the direct photodegradation of atrazine, atraton, ametryn and 2-hydroxyatrazine by 254 nm light in aqueous solution

Abstract

Atrazine (1), Atraton (2) and Ametryn (3) are photodegraded upon 254 nm irradiation, yielding 2-OH-atrazine (4) as a photoproduct. Dealkylation products are also generated, and 4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-(1,3,5)-triazine was also found as a photoproduct of 3. The main photoreaction is proposed to be an addition-elimination, yielding 4, which subsequently photodegrades. The ease of photodegradation depends on the electron availability at position C-2, the observed order of photoreactivity being 1 > 3 > 4 > 2. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.