Photodegradation of naproxen and its photoproducts in aqueous solution at 254 nm: a kinetic investigation.

The kinetics of photodegradation of the non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen (+)-S-2-(6-methoxynaphthalen-2-yl)propanoic acid, an emerging organic pollutant, was studied in aqueous solutions under deaerated and aerated conditions. The photolysis experiments were carried out under monochromatic irradiation (λ = 254 nm) at pH = 7.0 and T = 25 °C. Simplified reaction schemes of photodegradation of naproxen are proposed in absence and in presence of oxygen respectively. The schemes take into account the photolysis of naproxen and its photoproducts and the reactions of the measured species with oxygen dissolved in the liquid bulk. According to these schemes, two kinetic models were developed which correlate the experimental data, for runs performed in absence and in presence of oxygen, with a fair accuracy and allowed to estimate the best values for the unknown kinetic parameters. The calculated quantum yield of direct photolysis of naproxen under deaerated media is in good agreement with the one previously reported. Under aerated conditions, the generation of singlet oxygen has also been taken into account. The obtained results, under the adopted conditions, indicated a marked influence of dissolved oxygen on the photodegradation rates of naproxen and the relative distribution of the major reaction intermediates.