Sonochemical degradation of various monocyclic aromatic compounds: Relation between hydrophobicities of organic compounds and the decomposition rates

Various aromatic compounds, i.e., nitrobenzene, aniline, phenol, benzoic acid, salicylic acid, 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, styrene, chlorobenzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and n-propylbenzene were decomposed under identical ultrasonic irradiation conditions. The relationships between the initial rates of degradation of these aromatic compounds and their physicochemical parameters were systematically investigated. It was revealed that some correlations between the degradation rates and parameters of volatility, Henry’s law constant and vapor pressure, were observed only in the limited high range of parameters. It was suggested that the Henry’s law constant and vapor pressure had influenced on the rate of degradation for some of the tested aromatic compounds. In contrast, better correlations between the initial rates of degradation and hydrophobic parameters, water solubility and Log P (water–octanol partition coefficient), were observed over the wide range of chosen parameters. These results meant that the hydrophobicity of the compounds significantly affected their accumulation at the gas–liquid interface of the bubbles and it was the most important factor for the sonochemical degradation of aromatic compounds. In particular, for the sonolysis of water-insoluble organic compounds, Log P was found to be the representative parameter for understanding the hydrophobic properties of water-insoluble compounds.