There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

The detection methods and generation mechanisms of the intrinsic reactive oxygen species (ROS), i.e., superoxide anion radical (•O2–), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), singlet oxygen (1O2), and hydroxyl radical (•OH) in photocatalysis, were surveyed comprehensively. Consequently, the major photocatalyst used in heterogeneous photocatalytic systems was found to be TiO2. However, besides TiO2 some representative photocatalysts were also involved in the discussion. Among the various issues we focused on the detection methods and generation reactions of ROS in the aqueous suspensions of photocatalysts. On the careful account of the experimental results presented so far, we proposed the following apprehension: adsorbed •OH could be regarded as trapped holes, which are involved in a rapid adsorption–desorption equilibrium at the TiO2–solution interface. Because the equilibrium shifts to the adsorption side, trapped holes must be actually the dominant oxidation species whereas •OH in solution would exert the reactivity...

Generation and Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species in Photocatalysis

Reactions of chlorine with inorganic and organic compounds during water treatment—Kinetics and mechanisms: A critical review

The reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated mechanism is the major cause underlying the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT). The PDT procedure is based on the cascade of synergistic effects between light, a photosensitizer (PS) and oxygen, which greatly favors the spatiotemporal control of the treatment. This procedure has also evoked several unresolved challenges at different levels including (i) the limited penetration depth of light, which restricts traditional PDT to superficial tumours; (ii) oxygen reliance does not allow PDT treatment of hypoxic tumours; (iii) light can complicate the phototherapeutic outcomes because of the concurrent heat generation; (iv) specific delivery of PSs to sub-cellular organelles for exerting effective toxicity remains an issue; and (v) side effects from undesirable white-light activation and self-catalysation of traditional PSs. Recent advances in nanotechnology and nanomedicine have provided new opportunities to develop ROS-generating systems through photodynamic or non-photodynamic procedures while tackling the challenges of the current PDT approaches. In this review, we summarize the current status and discuss the possible opportunities for ROS generation for cancer therapy. We hope this review will spur pre-clinical research and clinical practice for ROS-mediated tumour treatments.

Reactive oxygen species generating systems meeting challenges of photodynamic cancer therapy

This paper presents a review of catalytic ozonation and methods of enhancing molecular ozone reactions in water treatment. It is also an attempt to propose general ideas about mechanisms governing catalytic ozone reactions. Catalytic ozonation is a new means of contaminants removal from drinking water and wastewater. Its application is mainly limited to laboratory use. However, due to successful results further investigation is to be carried out. The majority of models proposed represent more of a speculative approach to the problem than a hypothesis based on experimental data. It is therefore useful to provide a summary of the accomplishments concerning catalytic ozonation and methods of enhancing molecular ozone reactions that were published so far. A survey of the application of several homo- and heterogeneous catalysts, their activity and the parameters influencing the efficiency of catalytic systems is presented here as a short overview, the aim of which is to raise awareness of possible new approaches to water purification.

Catalytic ozonation and methods of enhancing molecular ozone reactions in water treatment

A kinetic model of the reacting aqueous chlorine-ammonia system is proposed which describes equally well the rapid «breakpoint» oxidation of ammonia, where the applied chlorine dose (CI 2 ) to ammonia-nitrogen molar ratio (Cl/N) is greater than approximately 1.6; the slow oxidation of ammonia in aqueous chloramine solutions (Cl/N<1); and the transition region of 1<Cl/N<1.6, where rapid initial decay results in chloramine species residuals

Reaction scheme for the chlorination of ammoniacal water

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209) is a widely used flame retardant, yet information regarding its environmental transformation rates and pathways are largely unknown. Because photochemical transformation is often suggested as a potentially important fate process for BDE209, the reaction rate and products of the solar degradation under favorable solvent conditions were determined in this study. Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209), dissolved in hexane, reacts in minutes via direct solar irradiation, at midlatitude (40°29‘ N, 86°59.5‘ W) in afternoon July and October sunlight. Observed first-order reaction rate constants, kobs, at the different exposure times were kobs = 1.86 × 10-3 s-1 (July) and kobs = 1.11 × 10-3 s-1 (October). The photodecomposition quantum yield was calculated from these data and from the solar irradiance data measured at 300, 305.5, 311.4, 317.6, 325.4, 332.4, and 368 nm reported at a USGS UVB monitoring station located nearby. The range of wavelengths where both the molar absorptivity of ...

Solar photodecomposition of decabromodiphenyl ether: products and quantum yield.

The photodebromination of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) adsorbed onto six different solid matrixes was investigated in sunlight and by irradiation with 350 +/- 50 nm lamps (four lamps at 24 W each). After 14 days of lamp irradiation, BDE-209 degraded with a half-life of 36 and 44 days, respectively, on montmorillonite or kaolinite, with much slower degradation occurring when sorbed on organic carbon-rich natural sediment (t1/2 = 150 days). In late summer and fall sunlight (40.5 degrees N, elevation 600 ft), the half-lives of BDE-209 sorbed on montmorillonite and kaolinite were 261 and 408 days, respectively. Under both irradiation schemes, no significant loss of BDE-209 occurred when sorbed to aluminum hydroxide, iron oxide (ferrihydrite), or manganese dioxide (birnessite). Upon exposure to both lamp and solar light and in the presence of montmorillonite and kaolinite, numerous lesser brominated congeners (tri- to nonabromodiphenyl ethers) were produced. Nearly identical product distribution was evident on montmorillonite and kaolinite. Dark control experiments for each mineral showed no disappearance of BDE-209 or appearance of degradation products. These results suggest that photodegradation of BDE-209 on mineral aerosols during long-range atmospheric transport may be an important fate process for BDE-209 in the environment.

Photodegradation of decabromodiphenyl ether adsorbed onto clay minerals, metal oxides, and sediment.

To assess the risk and fate of fullerene C60 in the environment, its water solubility and partition coefficients in various systems are useful. In this study, the log Kow of C60 was measured to be 6.67, and the toluene-water partition coefficient was measured at log Ktw = 8.44. From these values and the respective solubilities of C60 in water-saturated octanol and water-saturated toluene, C60's aqueous solubility was calculated at 7.96 ng/L(1.11 x 10(-11) M) for the organic solvent-saturated aqueous phase. Additionally, the solubility of C60 was measured in mixtures of ethanol-water and tetrahydrofuran-water and modeled with Wohl's equation to confirm the accuracy of the calculated solubility value. Results of a generator column experiment strongly support the hypothesis that clusters form at aqueous concentrations below or near this calculated solubility. The Kow value is compared to those of other hydrophobic organic compounds, and bioconcentration factors for C60 were estimated on the basis of Kow.

Buckminsterfullerene's (C60) octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow) and aqueous solubility.

The octanol-water distributions of 10 environmentally significant organic acid compounds were determined as a function of aqueous-phase salt concentration (0.05-0.2 M LiCl, NaCl, KCl, CaCl{sub 2}, or MgCl{sub 2}) and pH. The compounds were pentachlorophenol, 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol, (2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)acetic acid, 4-chloro-{alpha}-(4-chlorophenyl)benzeneacetic acid, 2-methyl-4,6-dinitrophenol, (2,4-dichlorophenoxy) acetic acid, 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) butanoic acid, 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid, 2,3,6-trichlorobenzeneacetic acid, and 2-(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)propionic acid. The experimental results were interpreted quantitatively with an equilibrium model that accounts for acid dissociation in the aqueous phase and partitioning into the octanol phase by the neutral organic species, free inorganic and organic ions, and ion pairs. The partition constants for the neutral ion pairs correlate well with the partition constants of the neutral acids. Two experiments address the applicability of these octanol-water distribution data to the distribution of ionogenic compounds in the environment: the distribution of 2-methyl-4,6-dinitrophenol on a natural sorbent as a function of salt concentration (NaCl and CaCl{sub 2}) and pH, and competitive adsorption of pentachlorophenol and 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol on an environmental sorbent.

Chad T. Jafvert

Papers

Reaction scheme for the chlorination of ammoniacal water

Solar photodecomposition of decabromodiphenyl ether: products and quantum yield.

Photodegradation of decabromodiphenyl ether adsorbed onto clay minerals, metal oxides, and sediment.

Buckminsterfullerene's (C60) octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow) and aqueous solubility.

Distribution of hydrophobic ionogenic organic compounds between octanol and water: organic acids