Endocrine disruptors: An analysis of the rates of photooxidative degradation and determination of products

CHED 1086

Angela M. Curran, acurran365@hawks.rwu.edu, Krystal Z. Munoz, kmunoz979@hawks.rwu.edu, and Stephen K. O'Shea, soshea@rwu.edu. Department of Chemistry, Roger Williams University, One Old Ferry Rd., Bristol, RI 02809
Daidzein and genistein are a class of water soluble phytoestrogens found increasingly in the environment. The release of these compounds into the aquatic environment have direct detrimental effects on fish development; the extent of these effects is related to the compounds' rate of decay. The main decay pathway of the estrogens is by 1O2. Two photo-oxidative procedures were investigated for the conversion of 3O2 to the higher energy 1O2. The first method utilizes methylene blue to absorb red light (HeNe laser), the second method employs titanium oxide in a U.V. photoreactor. Rates of reactions were determine from U.V./Vis repetive scans analysis; from the rate of oxidative decay of these photestrogens we are able to elucidate an expected life time of these species in the water column. Our predicted photooxidative mechanism is cleavage of the conjugated groups by 1O2. NMR (1H, 13C) and HPLC/MS analysis was used to determine the products.