Iron (III) aquacomplexes as effective photocatalysts for the degradation of pesticides in homogeneous aqueous solutions.

The degradation of the herbicide asulam (4-amino-benzosulfonyl-methylcarbamate) was studied by excitation of iron (III) aquacomplexes in aqueous solutions at 365 nm as well as by exposition to solar light. Sulfanilamide was also studied as a model molecule. The initial step of asulam disappearance was shown to be due to the formation of hydroxyl radicals generated from the excitation of Fe(OH)2+, the most photoactive iron (III) monomeric species. However, when the iron (III) species was totally photoreduced to iron (II), the degradation of asulam in the presence of oxygen continued to completion. A photoreactivity of iron (II) species and/or iron (II) complexes under our experimental conditions was proposed. The experimental results indicate that the presence of iron (III), iron (II) and molecular oxygen is the condition for achieving the complete mineralization of the solution. The proposed photocatalytic cycle could provide an interesting tool for oxidations in the environment.