10.1039/b109837c
The research focuses on the photocatalytic and sonophotocatalytic degradation of chemical warfare agent simulants, including dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), diethyl phosphoramidate (DEPA), pinacolyl methylphosphonate (PMP), and butylaminoethanethiol (BAET), using aqueous suspensions of titanium dioxide (TiO2). The experiments involved subjecting these simulants to both photocatalytic and sonophotocatalytic treatments to achieve complete mineralization into inorganic products. The analysis included monitoring the total organic carbon (TOC) concentration, detecting intermediate and final products using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) after derivatization with trimethylsilyl (TMS) reagents, and quantifying inorganic ions through ion chromatography. The study also compared the degradation rates with and without ultrasonic irradiation and calculated the quantum efficiencies for the complete mineralization of the simulants.