Sonochemistry of organic compounds in homogeneous aqueous oxidising systems

The influence of ultrasound on the degradation of trichloroethylene, o-chlo rophenol and 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol in some Fenton type aqueous systems wa s investigated. Kinetic analysis of the results revealed that the ultrasoni c waves do not really enhance the reactivity of the system, but rather add their own degradation mechanism to the chemical degradation. This effect is comparable to the well known sonochemical switching effect. As a consequen ce, the degradation rate of the combined systems is the sum of the pure son ochemical degradation rate and the silent chemical degradation rate. The on ly exception to this rule is the degradation of o-chlorophenol in the prese nce of hydrogen peroxide, in the absence of catalysts. Care had to be taken in order to avoid artifacts that may arise, e.g., when neglecting temperat ure effects. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.