Abstract
The influence of ultrasound (200 kHz) on the decomposition of chlorobenzene in the presence and absence of iron and palladium sulfates was investigated. The intermediates of the sonolysis were identified, leading to a deeper insight into the degradation mechanism. It was established that chlorobenzene, a volatile compound, believed to be mainly degraded by pyrolysis inside cavitation bubbles, is also decomposed in the bulk solution by HO radical attack. The bulk reaction definitely occurs by two mechanisms that include a ring attack leading to chlorophenols and ipso attack leading to the phenoxy radical, responsible for all the identified phenolic components. This study sheds some light on the reaction sites during the sonication of organic substances.
