Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of the photodegradation of naphthenic acids mixtures irradiated with titanium dioxide

Abstract

Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry was used to study the photodegradation of an oil sands naphthenic acid (NA) mixture, a commercial Fluka NA mixture and a candidate NA, 4-Methyl-cyclohexaneaceticic acid (4-MCHAA) irradiated with TiO2 (P25) suspension under both fluorescent and natural sunlight. Under natural sunlight irradiation over the TiO2 suspension, approximately 75% of compounds in the NA mixtures and 100% of 4-MCHAA were degraded in 8 h. No degradation was observed under dark conditions, regardless of the presence or absence of TiO2. The structural formula of the NAs is given by CnH2n + zO2, where n represents the carbon number and z specifies a homologous family with 0–6 rings (z = 0 to −12). The degree of degradation was noted to vary among the NA mixtures and the candidate NA compound with more efficient degradation achieved for molecules with -z values from 0 to 6. The difference in the efficacy of the photocatalysis was likely due to the structure and size of the compounds. In the case of -z = 6 to 12, steric constraints are a key factor what hinders photocatalysis.