Photochemical Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds. I. Naphthalene

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Abstract
A 10 m3 chamber has been constructed to investigate the photochemical decomposition of gas phase polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC). The chamber was used in the static mode to investigate the products of the reaction of gas phase naphthalene with OH radicals, which were generated in the chamber through the photolysis of isopropylnitrite in the presence of NO. NO was added to the chamber to prevent the formation of ozone, the presence of which could lead to the formation of NO3 radicals and N2O5, which would then react with the naphthalene directly. The products confirmed by combined gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GS/MS) included 1,4-naphthalenedione, 4-methyl-2H-1-benzopyran-2-one, 1(3H)-isobenzofuranone, 1,2-benzenedicarboxaldehyde, phthalic anhydride, 1-nitronaphthalene, 2-nitronaphthalene, 2-nitro-1-naphthol, and 2,4-dinitro-1-naphthol. Both 1- and 2-naphthol were detected in the gas chromatograms through comparison of relative retention times with pure standards, but they were at such low concentrations that they could not be confirmed through GC/MS.