Sonochemical Reaction Mechanism of a Polycyclic Aromatic Sulfur Hydrocarbon in Aqueous Phase

Hydroxybenzothiophenes, dihydroxy-benzothiophenes, and benzothiophenedione were identified as inter-mediates of benzothiophene (BT) exposed to ultrasonic irradiation. It is proposed that benzothiophene is oxidized by OH radical to sequentially for m hydroxybenzothiophenes, dihydroxybenzothiophenes, and benzothiophenedione. Benzothiophene is decomposed rapidly following pseudo-first-order kinetics in a first-order manner by ultrasonic irradiation in aqueous solution. The toxicity of sonochemically treated solutions was checked by E. coli and a less inhibition in bacterial respiration was observed from the 120-min treated benzothiophene sample than from the untreated benzothiophene sample. Also evolution of carbon dioxide and sulfite was observed during ultrasonic reaction. A pathway for ultrasonic decomposition of benzothiophene in aqueous solution is proposed.